Eiga Monogatari: Gaiden
by Murasaki Fujiwara
Summary: Uchiha Obito's death changed Murasaki's fortune, but life in Konohagakure is not easy, and soon she finds herself witness to a dark conspiracy that could claim not only her life, but Konoha itself. Kaka/Oc Tale of Flowering Fortunes rewrite
1. Morning

藤原の紫です。

Murasaki stood in the doorway of the Yoake shrine, watching the blood red sun rise slowly from the dusky hills. She let out a sigh in the cool morning air, clutching her broom tighter in her hand as an uneasy feeling settled in the back of her stomach.

Yesterday had been the Shosai festival day for the spirit Ame no Uzume, the goddess of the dawn.

As expected, worshipers had tracked dirt and mud all over the place and left food and incense all over the shrine. Abandoned or forgotten fortunes and omamori littered the ground, blowing in the early morning breeze. As the youngest miko, naturally, that meant she was to clean up before her superiors awoke, which by Murasaki's experience, would be about noon. And of course, most of them would be hung over from the ceremonial sake that was _not _for drinking… She cleaned the shrine first, taking special care not to tear the braided shide charms attached to the shimenawa ropes of the shrine. Murasaki was polishing the Inari statues as dawns first light began to turn the skies. Movement caught the corner of her eye and she looked up to see a dark haired boy with a Konoha forehead protector.

"Ohaiyoo gozamasu, Obito-kun!" Murasaki called through the cool morning air, running out onto the kaguraden to meet her friend. Obito waved from the trees and leapt down.

"Did I miss the festival?" He asked, looking around, clearly disappointed.

"I didn't know you wanted to come. I thought that Hatake-san said '_a shinobi needs no religion_…'." Murasaki said, picking up a couple pieces of paper from the sighed, leaning against the railing on the porch.

"I still wanted to come…" He muttered quietly. "I'd never been to a Shinto festival before. I would have even polished my headband!" He pointed his thumbs at his forehead where the headband shone crimson in the growing light. Murasaki smiled quietly, leaning her broom against the support beams.

"Well, maybe it's for the better. Noriko-sama doesn't look kindly upon shinobi…"Obito stood up, snapping at the elastic on his trademark orange and blue goggles. "Since you're here, I could tell your fortune." Murasaki offered, taking the Uchiha's hand and dragging him towards a small stand where fortunes were told.

They sat together on the floor in the darkness of the small hut while Murasaki read his fortune, looking down at the jumble of stones and twigs on the mat before her. Over and over in her head, she told herself the grim reading of the signs were due to her inexperience at telling fortunes, but his ensuing misfortune was there as plain as day. Murasaki took a deep breath, wondering if she should warn him.

"What, what does it say?" He asked, leaning closer to her and making the jinja girl's face grow hot. The girl hesitated slightly, looking away.

"Nothing important... I'm just a miko, so it's not like I can really tell fortunes anyway."

Obito sighed, sitting down again. "It's was bad, isn't it?"

Murasaki sat back down across from him. "Do you really want to know?"

"I don't know, do I?"

"How about I try it again?"Obito nodded and Murasaki tried again, and once again, got the same grim reading.

"Hey, that looks the same as last time!" The loud brunet scoffed, crossing his arms. "So what does it really mean, anyway?"

Murasaki closed her eyes, trying to find her voice. "Ah…it means that…you'll die old and have many children!" She said, lying almost blatantly.

"Really?" He asked, dark Uchiha eyes shining with pride. "Does it say who with? Am I going to marry Rin?"

"I don't know…" Murasaki said quietly, feeling a slight pang of jealousy at the mention of the other girl's name.

"Heh, I bet I am, and she and I are going to like, have ten kids…" Obito said with a grin, adjusting his headband and standing up.

Murasaki was silent as they both left the hut, a silvery blur shot out, stopping them in their tracks.

"Minato-sama is looking for you. We have to go." Kakashi said, staring down the young miko and his impulsive teammate.

"But, Kakashi-san…" Obito whined. Kakashi's steely grey eyes stared coldly at the pair, scolding them silently.

"You better go, Obito-kun." Murasaki whispered, as she heard a wooden door slide open somewhere downhill from the main shrine. She didn't want to be on Noriko's nerves today…

"I'll be there in a second, Kakashi-san." Obito cautioned, his face a mixture of emotions. Kakashi nodded and the boy leapt off through the trees. Obito turned to Murasaki, all signs of mischief that had once been on his face now replaced with a slight tinge of jealousy.

"Kakashi became a jounnin today, now he thinks he's better than everyone, not that that's anything new."

"I'm sure you'll become a Jounnin soon, too, Obito-kun." Murasaki said brightly, a red tinge spreading across her face. Obito turned around and smiled, oblivious to her blush.

"Nah, it's not that important to me." He said, dismissing the lie with a smile and a wave of his hand. "Anyway, I should go before we get caught." He laughed, starting towards the trees. "See ya later, Murasaki-chan!"

"Ganbatte, Obito-kun!" Murasaki waved, putting a hand to her chest and thinking sadly of his fortune.

It was then she remembered the omamori she had made special for him. Perhaps, by some small chance and a great favor from the Spirits, it would spare him…

"Wait! Obito-kun!" She ran through the trees after the young shinobi. Crashing through the bramble and almost stumbling over a rabbit hole, she made it out onto the road where Obito was just joining his team.

"God, Murasaki-sama, we heard you coming before we saw you." Kakashi snapped, stressing the honorific with heavy sarcasm. Murasaki bit her tongue, determined not to act out against him.

"Ohaiyoo gozamasu, Murasaki-chan!" Rin called brightly from beside her sensei. Minato smiled at the young shrine maiden, who had stopped to gasp for air.

"Ohaiyoo gozaimasu, Rin-chan…Minato-sama" She gasped.

"Now what?" Kakashi hissed impatiently.

"I…forgot…to…give…Obito…this…" She handed Obito the blue fabric charm. "I…made…it…yesterday. Its supposed to bring you luck."

"Wow, thanks Murasaki-chan!" He said, glomping her. Murasaki turned six shades of scarlet to mach her hakama and Obito let go as Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

"Murasaki-dono, are you feeling alright?"

"I...I'm fine." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Ganbatte." She said bowing slightly. Obito thanked her again and the team turned to go. "Oh, and Hatake-chan…" She said quietly, smiling to herself at the feminine honorific. Kakashi turned around, surveying her with blatant disdain and embarrassment. "Omedetou." She said with a Kakashi was turning bright pink.

"Doomo Arigatou Gozaimasu." He said formally with a stiff bow, before turning away. She watched them disappear into the distance as the sunlight turned the skies a pure shade of blue, the bad feeling festering down at the pit of her stomach. Obito's fortune had left a bad taste in her mouth, even after she had given him the protective charm.

"Murasaki!"She heard a voice calling through the trees that brought her back to reality.

"Murasaki, where are you, brat!"

Murasaki went back into the trees."I'm right here, Noriko-sama." She said quietly.

"Where were you?" The middle aged priestess snapped, taking Murasaki roughly by the arm.

"I head a noise."

"Well, you're supposed to be cleaning. You should get back to work. The shrine is a pigsty."

"Gomen nasai, Noriko-sama. "

xXx

A few days later, an ANBU messenger from Konoha arrived at the shrine, requesting Murasaki's presence before the hokage. The message was short and somber, and Murasaki knew almost instantly what had happened. Without asking Noriko's permission, or even telling her, Murasaki donned her ceremonial vestments and took off with the young man, who was wearing a cat mask. The sun was deceptively bright that day as Murasaki, for the first time, entered the massive wooden gates of Konoha. The cat man made her sign a log-in book at the front before he led her towards a large red building marked with the character for 'Fire'. Murasaki sighed, squaring her shoulders. The weight of the layers of her clothes were making her sweat on the unusually fair September day. Her blue-grey eyes roamed the village as they made their way towards the building. She saw a couple of kids a little younger than she ran past her, laughing on their way to a building marked Konoha Academy. Murasaki sighed, thinking about how lucky they were to pursue their dreams of becoming shinobi. Her breath hitched in her chest as they bypassed the guards with a nod and they opened the massive double doors. The waiting was the worst part, standing outside the Hokage's office in the darkened hallways. The cat man had left her after opening the door and announcing her arrival. The young miko sighed, leaning against the wall and digging her hands into the red folds of her hakama. A pretty redhead opened the door to the Hokage's office. Her deep green eyes were red and puffy around the edges.

"You must be Murasaki?"

Murasaki nodded, staring at the quite pregnant young woman.

"I'm Minato's wife, Uzumaki Kushina, ." She bowed politely.

"This is the first time we meet, I'm Murasaki, please regard me with favor..." Murasaki bowed back.

"Please regard me with favor. It's an honor to finally meet you, Murasaki-sama. Please, come into my husband's office, he has something he wants to tell you." The tone in Kushina's voice told Murasaki enough as the redhead put a hand on her shoulder.

"Obito's dead, isn't he?" Murasaki said, stopping in the doorway. Kushina looked surprised for a moment, her eyes filling with tears. Slowly, painfully, she nodded.

"How did you know?"

"Just a guess…" Murasaki said quietly, thinking back to the fortune as she began to tremble.

She stepped slowly forward into the room full of people she didn't know, people who were shinobi, who stared strangely and whispered behind their hands as she neared the desk. Tears were now flowing freely down Murasaki's face, making faint pink lines appear on pale skin as she trembled like a leaf.

"M-Mi-na-to-sa-sama." She whispered, trying to keep her composure. He stood up from his desk and came around the front, taking her hands between his while Kakashi and Rin, clothed completely in black, looked on. Murasaki noticed at first glance that a fresh bandage wound around Kakashi's head, covering his left eye. Yondaime clasped her hands in between his. His hands were shaking and his honest blue eyes were full to the brim with tears.

"Murasaki-dono, I'm so glad you could make it…" He slipped a piece of fabric into her hands. Murasaki stared openly down at the blue silk charm she had constructed for the misfit Uchiha. A wild-looking, white haired man stared intensely at her from next to the windowsill, making her suddenly want to throw up, and she did.

All over Yondaime's open-toed shoes, all over the polished wooden floor, all over herself. She gasped, propping herself up weakly on her palms.

"Shitsuree shimashita!" She wailed, scooting away from the startled shinobi's feet and almost backing into Kakashi's knees. Murasaki's long brown ponytail was dripping with bile and partially digested rice as she completely lost it there on the office floor. "I'm so sorry!" She moaned, not daring to look into the startled Hokage's face. She got up, scrambling for the door, slipping past Kushina and her swollen belly. She had to leave. She had dishonored Obito at his own funeral, her best friend, her crush, in front of his friends and family, who probably already hated her for being a Jinja girl.

She pushed past the double doors and out into the traitorous sunlight, making a beeline for the front gate, even knocking down a couple black-ops in the process. She paused for breath in a large, open field near the cemetery, collapsing to the ground and sobbing into her arms. Obito, the only person who had ever treated her like an equal, was dead.

She shook, sobbing into her vomit soaked sleeves and wiping her eyes with a clean didn't sense the wild, white haired man approach and sit down next to her until he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's going to be okay, kiddo." He said in a deep, gentle voice. Murasaki wiped her eyes and stared at him. He had a kind smile on his face, one that met his eyes, unlike the people who had been staring at her in Minato's office. He put an arm around her and rubbed her shoulder in an uncomfortably familiar manner."You know, it takes a lot to startle a shinobi…" He said, a deep chuckle beginning in the pit of his stomach. "You really had Minato there for a moment."

"It's not funny."

The man stopped laughing after a moment. "I think Obito-san would have been proud."

"I threw up all over his sensei!" Murasaki man pulled her closer to his chest, rubbing her shoulder in that oddly familiar manner that made her even more uncomfortable.

"What you did, in even coming into this village, exhibited an amazing amount of courage, and being able to walk right up to the Hokage, with a room full of shinobi, and vomit on him…now that took guts, kid." He dried her eyes with a handkerchief and stared blankly at the man. "I think you and I, we are a lot alike; I can see it in your eyes. You've got a lot of fire and a lot of fight in you. Now come on, let's give it another try. It would be a shame to hide such a pretty face from the village." He stood up, offering his hand to her. Reluctantly, she took it, noting how small hers looked against his. He put his arm around her shoulder and the walked back towards Konoha, but before entering the gate, the man stopped and turned to her.

"As for your name, sweetheart, what is it?"

"Ah…My clan name is Fujiwara…I am Murasaki. Fujiwara no Murasaki…" She said quietly. He smiled and nodded.

"It's a pleasure to meet such a beautiful young lady. I am the Sage of Myobokuzan Mountain, Jiraiya…" He said kindly, his hand never leaving her shoulder. "Now, we have a Hokage to see, Murasaki-chan."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N; Ah, here it is, my duckies, the long awaited re-write. I had originally stopped writing all together because of another author (coughLadyDetiacough) that decided to make life difficult for me, but thanks to one very faithful young lady by the name of Animechick247, and my beloved male counterpart, Pein/Kakashi/GodricGriff, and my good friend Kelli, I was given the strength and courage to pick up my stories again.

This is going to be quite different from the original tale, though Murasaki has changed very little. I've been going through and de-marysueifyng her, and there's less of the Japanese language and more cultural and literary references. Hopefully you'll like it more this time around!

I got the name 'Eiga Monogatari' from Fujiwara no Michinaga, who chronicled the rise of the Fujiwara family during the Heian era. Eiga Monogatari means 'The Tale of Flowering Fortunes' in an older form of Japanese (citation: Professor Peter Tillack, Montana State University)

Ahem, key:

kaguraden: Danceing platform at shrines used to perform the kagura and other cerimonial dances.

Omamori: Good Luck charm/talisman

Ame no Uzume: goddess of the dawn

Shosai: minor Shinto festival, usually reserved for local holidays.

Miko: Shinto Shrine maiden, a lot of stress is put on purity in Shinto, things like death and blood loss makes one impure (hence Noriko's dislike of Shinobi). Traditionally, the onset of puberty meant that a girl would be stripped of her Miko title, though now a Miko has the right to maintain her title until her virginity is lost. In pop culture, the miko appears as the 'perfect woman', and often had certain spiritual powers associated with her diety. In the case of Murasaki, I chose to play on more pop-culture than tradition, though a certain degree of tradition still makes itself known.


	2. Father

藤原のムラサキです。

Jiraiya and Murasaki made their way back to the red building as Kushina met them halfway down the hall.

"Come on, Murasaki-san…" Kushina said quietly. "Let's clean you up."

Kushina placed a gentle hand on Murasaki's shoulder, leading the miko away from the Toad Sage and down the hall to a different room. Murasaki could feel the sages eyes on her as she walked away, and found herself oddly reluctant to leave him.

Kushina and Rin helped Murasaki into some clean, civilian clothes, but Murasaki couldn't help but think about the look on Rin's face during the whole ordeal…It was so lost and haunted….

They walked slowly, silently together down the halls and outside, but they didn't head towards the cemetery. Instead they turned east, towards a large open field. Kushina hung back and chatted politely with Murasaki, who stared at the ground with her hands folded.

"Kushina-sama, why aren't we going to the cemetery?" Murasaki asked, shielding her eyes from the bright sun.

"Because, were going to the memorial. They were unable to recover Obito's body…" Kushina said, keeping her voice low so Rin couldn't hear. Murasaki nodded, continuing to stare at the ground as they approached the leaf-shaped stone.

The ceremony began as Kushina handed Murasaki a chrysanthemum to set on the memorial, beneath a smiling picture of Obito.

Silently, Murasaki watched Kakashi step forward, no emotion visible on the exposed part of his face. His silvery hair shone in the sunlight and at that moment, Murasaki felt something stir in her heart.

"_No…" _she thought to herself, _"I like Obito_, _I cant like Kakashi…he's…he's an asshole!" _

The surreal scene continued to play out before her, and when her turn came, Kushina put an encouraging hand on her shoulder.

"Be brave, you have every right to be here…" The redhead whispered softly with a smile. Murasaki nodded, striding forward behind the Uchiha's cousin, his wife, and their young son, Itachi, who turned around and stared intensely at Murasaki wile sucking on his finger, before being pulled forward by his mother. Murasaki took a deep breath and glanced around as she stepped forward as well, feeling like everyone was staring at her.

"_I have a right to be here!" _She thought furiously, stepping forward and placing the flower on the pile beneath the picture. Jiraiya's words played in her head over and over like a broken record; 

_"You have a lot of fire and a lot of fight_…"

Could it be true? She always had seemed so shy and weak in her own mind…

Wiping tears from her eyes, she stepped away from the stone. Jiraiya nodded with a the ceremony, she was left to stand alone with Kakashi and Rin by the was kneeling on the base, running a thumb over his teammate's freshly carved name.

"I'm so sorry, Rin…This is my fault…" He whispered.

Murasaki withheld gasp when she heard his words. They were so…unlike him….

"Kakashi-kun! No, don't say that." Rin sobbed, throwing her arms around the teen's neck. Murasaki felt her heart sunk lower as she watched the two.

Of course…Obito liked Rin, and she liked Kakashi…now with Obito gone…

Murasaki backed away, being extra careful to be silent. She could say her final goodbye later. She made her way across the field, looking to the edge and seeing Minato, with his arm around Kushina, talking to Jiraiya, who was holding…the Konoha log-book?

Murasaki slowed down, quietly assessing the situation. As she drew near, she could hear them talking.

"I've suspected since I first saw her. She has the same eyes…" Minato was saying.

"But she looks so much like her mother." Kushina responded quietly.

"I've thought the same, too, but now I know it. The coincidences are too uncanny. And it was about ten years ago that I had that mission…" Jiraiya whispered, his deep voice making a low rumbling sound.

"So what are you going to do, Jiraiya-sensei?" Minato asked quietly. "We can clear the way for you if you decide you want to pursue the issue, which I strongly advise for many reasons."

"I'm going to test the waters first, and then, if it's possible…do you still have her clothes? We could get some DNA from the…"

Murasaki stopped short of their circle as Jiraiya spotted her and nodded, indicating her presence to the other two, who stopped talking and turned around.

"Hello, Murasaki-san!" Kushina said, waving brightly. "We were just talking about y- "

Minato interrupted. "Our baby. She's due in about a month."

Murasaki smiled and walked forward, taking a place beside Jiraiya.

"You want to take a guess at how much she's going to weigh?" Kushina finished lamely. Quietly and gently, Murasaki reached out and placed a hand on either side of Kushina's belly, closing her eyes and focusing on the child within. Murasaki suddenly felt weak and backed away with a gasp.

"I don't think it's going to be a girl…" Murasaki said softly, removing her hands from Kushina's belly as her head began to throb dully. "It doesn't feel…I don't feel well…" Murasaki said, quietly looking at the ground. The truth was, when she touched Kushina, she had felt the prescience of death…

"It's probably because your stomach is empty…" Jiraiya said softly, stroking Murasaki's hair in a fatherly fashion.

"I guess we should start looking into boys names, then!" Kushina said with a bright smile.

Minato simply shook his head and smiled.

Murasaki looked up at the woman in surprise. Kushina was so upbeat and positive, even in situations that would…that should…be depressing…

Silently, Murasaki made a note to be more like that, to be happy, or at least, pretend…

Jiraiya chuckled. "That's my girl…" He said happily, squeezing Murasaki's shoulder. Muraskai blushed, thinking back to the conversation she had just overheard.

"Did you know my mother? I just overheard your conversation as I was coming towards you…It sounded like you knew her..."

"Well, sort of. Your mother was Fujiwara no Yuriko, correct?"

"Yes."

"The actress?"

Murasaki cleared her throat. "Yes. I barely remember her. She left me in the care of the shrine when I was four."

Jiraiya's grip on her shoulder tightened slightly. "I supposed you need to get back to the shrine soon?"

"Yes…I left without Noriko-sama's permission…but I wanted to say one last goodbye to Obito first…"

"Why don't you go do that while I go get your clothes…" Kushina said with an honest smile.

"But…Hatake-san is still there."

"I'm sure he won't mind…" Minato said, giving Murasaki a push in the small of her back as she turned to face the memorial. "The last thing he needs is to be alone right now."

Murasaki took a deep breath and walked slowly towards the stone where Kakashi knelt, glancing over her shoulder at the adults.

"Um…Hatake-san? Are you going to be long?" He ignored her, but she continued to stare. After what felt like an eternity, he stood up, but didn't get out of the way.

"You know…Obito was an idiot." He said coolly. Murasaki's head snapped up as she felt that fire Jiraiya had spoken of flare up. Who the heck would say that about a friend who had just passed away?

"I mean it. I-"

SMACK!

Murasaki didn't know what possessed her to hit the silver-haired teen, who could have easily just killed her on the spot. She watched in slow motion as her hand collided with his masked face, sending him flying sideways onto the trampled green she watched him flop around and land on his ass, she felt like vomiting, or running away in shame, but for the first time, she found the courage to stand her ground.

"Don't ever say that about Obito-san!" She said just stared at her in surprise, his grey eye wide. For the first time, she saw the pain and sorrow of loss on his face. He got up, dusting himself off, and silently he left her standing at the stone. Murasaki stared at the place he had been sitting moments before, feeling all kinds of horrible. She had just slapped a shinobi. She had just slapped a jounin. She had just slapped Hatake turned to look at the stone.

"Please, Obito-kun…wherever you are…please forgive me." She bowed, brushing a finger over his name before turning and leaving.

xXx

Jiraiya walked Murasaki back to the shrine after stopping by a small tea house and eating lunch together.

Jiraiya seemed to be watching her closely, as if analyzing her every move. Murasaki was aware of this, and it made her nervous but she said nothing. They finished eating and continued on to the shrine, stopping just short of the tree line. Jiraiya looked at first, like he wanted to say something, but simply shook his head.

"Be careful, kid…If you ever need my help, you know where to find me." He said, digging in his pockets and handing her a small toad-shaped omamori before turning his back to go. Murasaki stared after him, a million thoughts and emotions raging in her head. Her eyes felt tired and sore as she watched the white haired sannin disappear around a bend in the road. She turned, facing the shrine, taking a deep breath before reluctantly setting foot on the grounds. She knew Noriko wouldn't be happy with her…

But luckily enough, Yuki-sama had come back from his travels. Yuki was the head priest, an elderly man with a kind smile and even kinder eyes. Noriko usually modified her hateful behavior when he was around.

He smiled when he saw her coming up the path towards the shrine.

"Well, if it isn't our little Murasaki…" He said, patting her on the shoulder. "Where did you disappear to?"

"A friend of mine…he passed on…" She said quietly. Yuki smiled at her.

"It will be okay…those with strong, pure souls will fly through this world with the blessings of the Kami…" He said, patting her on the shoulder again before turning to go back to his work. Noriko came out of the sleeping quarters and saw Murasaki, narrowing her eyes darkly.

"Murasaki, come here." She barked, beckoning the miko closer. Reluctantly, Murasaki came forward, watching her reproachfully. Once out of Yuki's hearing and vision range, Noriko grabbed Murasaki by the arm.

"Where have you been?" She hissed, her fingers digging painfully in to the young girls arm despite the thick silk layer. Murasaki squirmed, trying to break free, but Noriko tightened her grip. "You ran off to see those dirty shinobi, didn't you?" She said, shaking Murasaki violently. "Didn't you?"

"N-Noriko-sama!" Murasaki protested.

"Shut up, just shut up! Shinobi will rape you the first chance they get, do you hear me? Then, they'll kill you…" She said, forcing Murasaki to look into her eyes. "Do you understand me? Do you?" She pinched Murasaki's chin, causing light bruises to form. Murasaki nodded, and Noriko let go, turning to go.

"Lies!" Murasaki said, anger fueling her heart.

Noriko froze, turning around.

"What did you just say?"

"You're wrong…" Murasaki said, a little softer than before. Noriko's dark eyes flickered with unspeakable anger and hatred as she advanced on Murasaki, who looked around for all possible exits. Noriko stood in between her and the door. The Priestess raised a hand, slapping Murasaki on the face, sending her sprawling on the floor. Murasaki looked up at the priestess.

"I will kill you…" Noriko said calmly. "and your soul will wander these lands in torment…" She said, grabbing Murasaki by the front of her kimono and lifting her up. "And you will become a wretched demon… find no solace…" She said, pinning Murasaki to the wall with one hand and punching her across the face. A second hit fell on Murasaki's rib cage with a sickening crack. Murasaki gasped for air, looking up, horrified, at Noriko's face as she struggled for breath.

"Just like that wretched shinobi friend of yours…." She snarled, twisting Murasaki's arm until the bones snapped. Murasaki gasped and fell to the floor.

Something inside Murasaki came apart at the insult of Obito, and the Toad Sages fire flared within.

"You're wrong!" Murasaki cried, looking up at Noriko with angry, tear filled eyes. She lunged at the woman, knocking her to the floor. Murasaki struggled past her, almost making it to the door before Noriko grabbed the back of her kimono and hauled her back. Murasaki turned around and punched Noriko in the face with all her might, breaking the older woman's nose.

"You little brat!" Noriko snarled, grabbing one of the ceremonial instruments from a shelf. "You're just like you mother…she took everything from me…" Noriko hissed, striking Murasaki with the pointed end of the instrument, drawing blood. Murasaki struggled to stand.

"She stole my parts, all my parts…" Noriko said, hammering on Murasaki with the staff, creating vicious gouges in the girls back as Murasaki screamed for help.

"She forced me to retire and become a priestess…" Noriko snarled, ripping at the kimonos to deal more painful blows. Blood flowed freely down Murasaki's back and sides and she shook from the pain, sobbing.

"She was a whore who was too lazy to raise you after that dirty shinobi got her pregnant…so she dumped you on our doorstep…some sister she was…" Noriko said, dropping the staff and grabbing a knife from beneath her straw-mat bed.

"And from the moment I saw you, I swore…I swore that someday I would kill you…" Noriko said, laughing maniacally as she raised the dagger in the air. Murasaki curled, trembling, into the fetal position, the floor soaked in her blood as her vision blurred. Noriko aimed a kick at the girls ribs and Murasaki gasped, her vision darkening. She felt dizzy from blood loss and pain…

Murasaki felt her bloody fingers close around the omamori that Jiraiya had given her.

"Jiraiya-sama…please…" She gasped, trying to block out the pain. She knew she was going to die here…her entire body was going numb…

There was a loud sound and out of the corner of her eye she saw Noriko hit the floor, a trickle of blood coming from beneath her dark hair.

"Don't. Ever. Touch. My. Little. Girl. Again." Hissed a familiar voice. Murasaki looked up dimly to see the outline of Jiraiya, his entire body seemingly bristling in anger.

Murasaki struggled to stand, clutching the remains of her clothing to her body with her broken arm. Jiraiya knelt down, lifting her gently in his arms.

"It's okay, sweetheart…daddy's got you…" He said softly. Murasaki blinked up at him, her mind spinning from blood loss and confusion. She could barely feel his arms around her.

"Da-addy?" She whispered in a questioning tone before passing out in his arms.

* * *

A/N:I keep forgetting rhat after updated their system, it takes out some of the text and re-formats your writing, it's been so long since I've properly posted anything. Please bear with me while I re-learn everything, loves!

Thank you all so much for reviews and pm's, they are all so helpful!


	3. Danzou

藤原のムラサキです。

When Murasaki awoke, she was in a warm room on a western-style bed. It felt so heavenly compared to the straw mats of the shrine...it felt like she'd fallen into an endless pile of fabric. She heard two familiar male voices speaking quietly over her.

"I had no idea..." She heard Yuuki say softly.

"Neither did I, to be honest. It wasn't until she came for the funeral a few days ago that I finally got a clue..." Jiraiya replied. She could feel someone's callused hand holding hers as if it were made of glass. Murasaki continued to feign sleep, eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Nonetheless, I shall turn her over to your care now, It's the least I can do to be fair to her...but I am concerned with her spiritual pressure. She will have to make frequent pilgrimages to shrines to keep it in check. You understand, that was her mother's primary concern when she was brought to us." She heard Yuuki say with a heavy sigh. "She will be missed...but it is for the best. Who would I be to deprive a young woman of her family and her dreams..." He said, patting Murasaki's knee. "I know she always dreamed of this."

"Thank you...I will not let her down, you have my word." she head Jiraiya's voice say as the hand that held hers tightened slightly. It was at that point, Murasaki became painfully aware of the IV in her arm.

"I'll hold you to that, Jiraiya-sama...farewell." She heard Yuuki leave and her eyes flew open. She was in a darkly painted room on a bed with white blankets. Jiraiya was sitting beside her, holding her hand. A heart rate monitor was beeping by her side and an IV bag hung on a metal stand, transferring it's contents into her veins. With his free hand, Jiraiya was writing thoughtfully in a notebook, which was balanced on his knee.

"Wh...where am I?" She asked, looking around. "And why am I here?" She looked down at her right arm, which was covered in a white plaster cast.

Jiraiya smiled down at her.

"You're in Konoha..." He said, taking a deep breath. "And I think you should look at this..." He said, setting the notebook aside and handing her a piece of paper with strangely marked squares on it; a DNA test.

"You're my daughter..." He said quietly, squeezing her hand. "Please, understand, I didn't know...sometimes adults do things that they shouldn't...it was just a one night stand...if I had known I would have raised you, I swear..." He said softly.

Murasaki blinked at him, processing the information. Her head pounded violently and she closed her eyes as she tried to sort out all the events of the past few days.  
"You...you're my...father?"  
He nodded, clasping her small hand in between his two large ones. "Forgive me...I didn't know...I...I wrote this the other day when I met you...I thought it was rather fitting for you, but I'm no poet..." He said, handing her a small piece of paper containing nearly illegible katakana.  
_  
"Even when trampled by scornful feet  
The wisteria blossom is still the noblest of flowers_"

Murasaki stared down at the poem, something stirring deep within, like from a forgotten memory. She beamed, looking up at him and appreciating the slight play on her name.  
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sa-...er, Dad..." She said quietly, correcting herself.  
"Dad..." He said with a smile. "I like the sound of that..."

XXx

About a week later, she was out of the hospital, and Jiraiya had enrolled her in Konoha Academy.

When she first found out, she was torn between excitement and fear.  
"What if I'm no good at being a kunoichi? What if I'm only good at being a miko?" She said the evening before she was to go. Jiraiya chuckled.

"Just do your best, that's all I ask..." He said, picking up a dish from the table. "But don't try too hard, not yet, anyway...wait until your body heals fully before you give them hell. I know you have a spark in you."

"What if nobody likes me?" She said, following him into the kitchen with a few more dishes.

"I'll still love you. You're my little girl..."

Murasaki looked at the floor. "What if they pick on me?"

"Then they'll have me to answer to, won't they...We'll just have to wait and see tomorrow, eh?" Jiraiya said, filling the sink with water. "You should get ready for bed."  
Murasaki nodded and obeyed. She lay in bed, listening as her father finished the dishes. He came in and checked on her before leaving the house. It was nothing new, no more than the nightly routine...

She had a hard time falling asleep that night, so she sat up with a pen and a tablet of paper, trying to duplicate the poem Jiraiya had written for her. She was up until the wee hours of the morning trying to match his eloquence as she evaded sleep. But sleep won eventually and she fell asleep with her head on her desk. She woke up late the next morning to Jiraiya shaking her gently.

"Hey, hey, you're late for school..."  
Grey eyes snapped open and Murasaki felt the sudden urge to hide her poetry from her father, quickly tossing the papers about before he had time to read them.  
He chuckled slightly as he watched the young girl rush about the room, eventually leaving to get dressed.  
Curiosity took him and he bent down to pick up one of the papers.

"What is keeping you up so late?" He wondered out loud as he unfolded the scrap of paper.

_ "The wisteria blossom is nothing  
without the branch that has given her life."_

Jiraiya smiled slightly as he tucked the poem into the front of his shirt.  
"So my little wisteria blossom is a poetess...who knew..." He chuckled as Murasaki rushed back into the room to say goodbye to him.

xxx

Once outside, Murasaki ran franticly towards the Academy, right behind a boy with a chocolate brown ponytail.

"Hey, you're new..." He said as she caught up with her.

"Yeah..." She panted, her newly healed ribs aching slightly. "I just moved here..."

"I'm Iruka, by the way..."

"I'm Fujiwara no Murasaki..." They hit the door to the academy just as the bell rang. Panting, they found there seats.

"Hey. Hey you...new girl." A pale girl with long black hair said, tapping Murasaki on the shoulder. Iruka gave her a weird look.

"Go away, Minamoto-san..." He moaned, putting his head on the desk. The girl smirked.

"You're in my seat, new girl..."

"Megumi-san, please sit down next to Tsubaki-san..." The sensei said, tapping his hand on the desk. Megumi looked irritated, but consented. Iruka looked up.

"She thinks she can get away with anything because she's one of the Sannin's kids..." He scoffed.

"One of the Sannin? Which one?" Murasaki asked, thinking of the story Jiraiya had told her about the creation of the sannin.

"Orochimaru..." Iruka said, sniffing.  
Murasaki nodded, chewing her finger and glancing back at the girl out of the corner of her eye. So this was Orochimaru's daughter? Something didn't add up from what her father had told her...

"Hey...hey, new girl..."

Murasaki turned around, expecting more cutting remarks. "What?" She was surprised to see a bushy-eye browed kid with shiny black hair sitting behind her.

"What happened to your arm?" He asked almost dumbly.

"I...I broke it..." She said bluntly.

"Duh. Wow, not only are you ugly, but your stupid as well." The black haired girl laughed.

"Don't listen to her. I'm Maito Gai."

"Fujiwara Murasaki..." Murasaki said quietly.

"Hey, Fujiwara!" Megumi called softly. Murasaki stiffened, but didn't turn around. "You look like shit! No one wants a girl with bruises and scars all over her!"  
Murasaki sat, wringing her hands nervously as Iruka proceeded to tell Megumi off, only to get yelled at by the teacher.

Murasaki hung out with Iruka and a strange, dark haired boy named Gai for the next month or so, becoming fast friends, though not without being constantly plagued by Megumi. The girl seemed to have taken an interest in Iruka and often made fun of Gai for his unusual choices in clothing.  
But the person who bore the brunt of Megumi's torment was Murasaki, who had taken a passive-aggressive approach to Megumi.

The Snake-lords daughter had increased her torture tenfold upon discovering that Murasaki was Jiraiya's daughter, calling her 'Toad Spawn', and often making fun of her looks. When Jiraiya had found out, he'd been furious, and stormed into the teacher's office, but in the end it only made things worse: Megumi increased her torment tenfold behind the teachers back, and took every opportunity she could to humiliate Murasaki in front of the class.

Sometimes during class and often at night, Murasaki would focus on writing poetry, still trying to match her father, whom to her, seemed perfect in every way. One or twice Murasaki showed some of her better pieces to Yokozuna-sensei, and he said he thought they were lovely, but Murasaki still felt overwhelmingly childish for showing them to him.

Minato and Kushina were in and out of Jiraiya's apartment, getting ready for the birth of their son, whom they had decided to name Naruto, after a character in one of Jiraiya's books.  
They had become close friends of Murasaki, who had almost become like family to them. Things were actually starting to go smoothly, until one Saturday afternoon in late September when they brought Kakashi by.  
After Obito's death, later followed by Rin's suicide, Kakashi had become almost clingy to Minato, and a change had come over him, but towards Murasaki, he remained the same arrogant snob.

"I brought Kakashi by so that he could maybe spend some time with Murasaki, maybe they'd be a good influence on each other..." Minato had said.  
Jiraiya nodded.

"That's a great idea...why don't you two go outside for a little while?" The white-haired sannin said, practically pushing the two kids out the door. Murasaki blinked at the sliver-haired boy as the door shut behind them. He looked down at her, tilting his head back slightly, looking even more arrogant with his left eye covered by his headband.

"Hey, I have to show this to you..." Jiraiya muttered, digging in his pocket for one of Murasaki's poems once the door was shut. "Murasaki has a hobby she never told me about...I think she's embarrassed..." He said, passing the piece of paper to Minato, who took it curiously and read with a smile.

" '_The young blossom can only stand in awe of the mighty branch_'... That's cute, creepy but cute, sensei..." Minato laughed, passing the poem back to the sannin. "I think she's writing about you..."

"I doubt it, it's probably one of those two boys she's always running around with...Minato, you know how proud I am of her...I wish I could tell her that..." Jiraiya muttered, looking down at the paper.

"If she stays her current course, she'll be a great asset to the village, providing nothing happens in the meantime..."  
Jiraiya's head snapped up and he leaned forward.

"Oh? What have you heard?"  
Minato took a deep breath, endless blue eyes clouded with worry.

"I can't speak too loudly, but the ROOT has been taking some interesting courses of action. I don't trust that leader, Danzou. If anything were to ever happen to me or the village, I want an investigation..."

Their conversation was cut short, however, by Murasaki yanking the apartment door open, soaking wet and covered in mud. She stormed to her room and changed, but Kakashi follower her as far as the hallway.  
Jiraiya and Minato quieted down enough to hear what the kids were saying.

"I didn't expect someone who isn't even a gennin to keep up with me." Kakashi scoffed, his hands in his pockets.

"Shut up! Leave me alone!" Murasaki said, opening the door with a huff, her cheeks flushed in anger, a white towel wrapped around her dark brown hair. Kakashi raised a silver eyebrow.

"So what if I don't want to?"

"God! You're so annoying!" Murasaki cried, towel-drying her hair.  
Minato glanced at Jiraiya with a dark chuckle. "I think he likes her..."  
The rest of Kakashi and Murasaki's conversation was too quiet for them to hear, but moments later, they heard Murasaki shout.

"Stop it!"

"I'm not afraid to hit a girl, you know!"

"Neither am I!" Murasaki huffed. There was a loud 'smack' and Jiraiya and Minato heard Kakashi fall to the floor.

"That's the second time you've hit me!" Kakashi hissed, his voice fluctuating slightly. There was a sound of scuffling in the hallway. The two men got up to see Kakashi had grabbed hold of Murasaki's shirt in attempt to hit her, but Murasaki had worked her way out of it and was struggling to kick the teen in the shins, but her arms were confined by the sleeves of the black garment.

"Kakashi!" Minato barked as Jiraiya grabbed his arms, forcing Kakashi to let go. Kakashi stopped fighting and stared at Murasaki, who had fallen on the floor crying, her arms crossed over her chest. He was staring at the deep scars on her back from Noriko's beating, his mouth agape in shock.

"Murasaki-san...?"  
Minato grabbed the towel, draping it around her shoulders.

"What happened here?" He asked, staring at Kakashi and kneeling beside Murasaki.

"We were sparring, and she fell in a puddle, got mad and came in here, next thing I know she calls me a girl, and hits me..." Kakashi said, crossing his arms defensively.  
Murasaki glared at him, her hair hanging in her face. "Liar! You pushed me!" she screamed through tears of embarrassment.

"I told you you couldn't keep up with me..." Kakashi sneered.  
Murasaki lowered her eyes, wrapping the towel around herself a little further.

"I would have, if it hadn't been for you..." She said quietly, her cheeks crimson.  
Minato sighed. "I think I need to have word with each of you in private..." He said, handing Murasaki her shirt.  
He went and talked to Kakashi first, sitting him down at Jiraiya's table.

"Kakashi, why have you been doing this?" He asked, sitting down.

"I haven't been doing anything..." Kakashi said, glaring down at a cup.

"Ever since Obito and Rin passed away...you've been acting out and picking on Murasaki mercilessly. I just want to know why, Kakashi?"  
Kakashi stared at the table for a long time.

"Because I just want her to notice me..." He said quietly. "She had a crush on Obito...and...I really like her..." He said, a pink blush spreading over the top of his mask ash he narrowed his visible eye.  
Minato blinked slowly, processing what Kakashi had said. "But being mean to her will only make her dislike you, Kakashi..."

"But...I want her to dislike me...so it won't hurt her when I die..." He said, crossing his arms. Minato frowned. Kakashi's reasoning was valid, but it was so...harsh.

"Do you plan on dying any time soon, because as much as she's not happy with you right now, I think it would still hurt her if you did..."  
Kakashi's steely grey eye met Minato's defiantly.

"No..."

XxX

Jiraiya sat in the back room, trying to comfort Murasaki, who was sitting on her bed, crying.

"I understand your embarrassed...but you can't expect to hide them forever..." Jiraiya said, somewhat awkwardly. It had been years since he had dealt with this part of a woman's psyche.

"That's not it!" Murasaki sobbed, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "I keep hitting him! I don't mean to! He just...pisses me off, he's so arrogant, and...I really like him, and I don't want him to think so poorly of me..." Murasaki said, wiping her nose again.  
Jiraiya blinked, then chuckled. "He doesn't think poorly of you, he just..."

"Doesn't think? Megumi said that no one wants a girl with bruises and scars..." Murasaki finished dryly.  
Jiraiya laughed again. "It'll be okay...you two just both need to lean when to stop, and you need to stop striking your comrades...as for Megumi, what does she know? It's more honorable for a kunoichi to bear her scars with pride rather than be too afraid to get her hands dirty. Megumi's just jealous of you." he said rubbing her shoulders with a deep chuckle. "Because unlike her, your daddy loves you."

xxx

The next day, Murasaki was sitting in Minato and Kushina's apartment, scribbling some poetry in a piece of paper while Kushina moved about the kitchen.  
Jiraiya had left on an 'errand' but had promised he'd be back later to take Murasaki to the shrine inside the Uchiha complex. It wasn't like Jiraiya would make good on the promise, anyway, he'd probably get distracted on the way, but Murasaki didn't mind...she just liked being with him.  
A splitting headache was blooming in the back of Murasaki's head and she set her pen down in frustration just as Kushina made a noise of discontent from behind the open door of the refrigerator.

"Murasaki, could you do me a big favor? Minato left his lunch..." Kushina said, holding up an orange lacquered box. "I'd take it to him, but I think I need to lay down for a while..."  
Murasaki nodded, taking the bento box from the woman and setting out across Konoha.  
The village was oddly quiet and it was late enough in the year that ominous looking clouds had began to gather overhead, making Murasaki travel a little faster than she usually would.

She hurried on her way to the Hokage building, approaching Yondaime's office slowly. The door was open slightly and Murasaki could hear people inside, their voiced raised in a heated argument.

"Minato-sama, let me be blunt with you; I would strongly advise that you retire soon, not only for your own good, but for the safety of your family and the village..." a man's cold voice said. Murasaki could hear Minato slam his hand down on the desk.

"No, I refuse. It would weaken the villages position in the war. I'll at least see it through to the end. It is my duty as Hokage to protect the village..."

"Perhaps there is some logic behind Danzou's words..." An elderly woman's voice chimed in.

"Yes, I can see it. Seeing as how Kushina is not of the Leaf, it can be perceived as a weakness in the eyes of our enemies...the fact that you're child is due soon could also pose a threat, making your family and the village an easy target..."

"What are you saying?" Minato said coldly. "Do you think I haven't already thought of that?"

"What I'm saying, Minato-kun, is that you need to prepare for anything...the birth of your child will provoke an attack of opportunity on the village." the man named Danzou said coldly, coming towards the door. "Use your head, Minato, if you were really working to benefit the village, you would forfeit your title..."  
Murasaki backed up, fear seizing her heart. She was pretty sure she'd just head something that she shouldn't have...  
The door swung open and the older man's eyes fell on the young girl, who clutched the orange bento to her chest. .

"What have we here?" Danzou said, straightening up. Murasaki backed away, trembling slightly.

"Leave her alone! She's not involved!" Minato yelled.

"She is now..." Danzou hissed.

"She's just a little girl!" Minato screamed as Danzou pulled a kunai.

"Let it go..." The other older man said sagely form within the room. "I would advise that you pick your fights, Danzou, and when you do, that they would not be with young girls..."  
Danzou cast the room a scathing look, the darkest part of which fell on Murasaki, before turning and leaving, his black cloak swirling ominously in his wake.

"Come in here..." The woman called from within the room, Minato beckoned her in with a wave of his hand and she came without hesitation, immediately regretting it when the door slammed shut behind her.

"This is the daughter of Jiraiya-san, yes?" The old man said coldly, staring down his nose at Murasaki, who immediately took shelter beside Yondaime's desk. To say she wasn't feeling particularly brave at the moment would have been an understatement.

"Yes, that is correct..." Minato said tensely.

"I see."

"Come here, child, let me look at you..." The woman said softly, beckoning Murasaki forward. Murasaki looked up at Minato and he nodded stiffly.  
Slowly, Murasaki stepped closer to the woman, who smiled kindly, kneeling so that she could look into the girls eyes.

"Let me see you..." The woman said, taking Murasaki's chin roughly in her hand and tilting her head towards the light. "Not all hope is lost...though I would strongly advise that you forget everything you just heard, child, for the sake of the village and for yourself."  
The woman stood up, letting go of Murasaki's face. "Very well, Minato, you know what to do. Just remember, Danzou is not one to forgive or forget...I would strongly suggest heeding his words."

"Yes, Koharu-sama..." He muttered almost grudgingly. "I'll keep that in mind..."

"Good day." The couple said, disappearing in a puff of smoke.  
Minato stood there with his hands in his pockets, staring at the spot where they had stood for a good five minutes before he finally spoke.

"Murasaki, everything you heard just now, like Koharu-sensei said, I would strongly advise that you conveniently forget it for the time being, until a time comes when it is needed again." He said, his tone deathly calm. He pulled his hand out of his pocket and looked at a small piece of paper before sitting down behind his desk. "My time is short, forgive my rudeness."  
There was more silence, then Murasaki remembered the bento in her hands.

"Ah, Minato-sama..."  
Minato looked up form his desk, his face quite different from before, an aura of forced calm surrounding him.

"Yes?" He said kindly.

"Ah...Kushina-san sent this...she said you forgot it..." She said, holding out the bento for him. He reached out and took it, clearly deep in thought.

"Thank you Murasaki-chan..." He said, opening it up and peering inside with a slight smile. "You wouldn't happen to know where your father is, would you?"  
Slowly, she shook her head. "He's on an errand, he said he'd be back soon."

Minato sighed.  
"Why don't you stick around here for a while? I could use some help around here...in fact, I think for the next few days, I'm going to need your help around here..."

Murasaki nodded reluctantly, still having not forgotten the conversation she'd just overheard. That Danzou had a negative aura, and his 'warning' felt more like a threat...

* * *

A/N: Hey, looky, an update...I like friday nights for updates...sometime on weekends or something.

Awww, Hell. Why have a schedule for updates?

**I'm trying my best to de-suify Murasaki**, so that she's _**not**_ an** extraordinary person thrust into an ordinary situation**, but an **ordinary person thrust into an extraordinary situation**, after all, **that is what makes stories so interesting**. I still smell a certain amount of Mary-sueness about Murasaki. **It is being fixed, but I definitely need Y'all's help**. I'm trying to make her as canon as possible without thinking _too _much like** Masashi 'I'm going to kill all the interesting characters' Kishimoto**.

Soo, I'm being kind of a bitter asshole *coughmajorlybitterassholecough* here, by giving Minamoto Megumi a similar name, background, and field of expertise to a **certain someone's** O/C's, who are by far the most '**oh god my eyes burn from the Mary-sueness**' O/C's I have EVER run into since '**Ebony Darkness Dementia Raven Way**' (points if you know where _that's _from.)

There are also some canon reasons for this as well, but this authors note is far too long. If you want the full story, PM me or something with what you want to know. I'm sorry for the rant, my chickadees, I hate to thrust personal annoyances on people. Forgive me.

**I'll just end it with: "Yeah, I'm immature, deal with it. Fanfiction is a release, not a life. When people mix it, I get offended."**


	4. The Assassin

A/N: Helloooooo! *waves* It's been a bit, has it not?

Somebody stop me! I can't stop listening to Celtic music!

I also want to add that misaddressing someone is very serious and very insulting to the Japanese, as well as referring to yourself with an honorific. Particularly misaddressing someone of inferior rank as 'Sama', or referring to a superior (or yourself) as 'chan'. It's considered too familiar.

And 'Ebony Darkness Dementia Raven Way' is from a Harry Potter Fanfiction called 'My Immortal', which was quickly dubbed as the 'Worst Fanfiction Ever'. took it down, but if you go to 'Encyclopedia Dramatica' theirs a good article on it, including links to the full story. Worth a few laughs.

Reviews make me write easier *hint hint*

Until next time, loves, Dewa!

* * *

藤原のムラサキです。

Murasaki arrived at the fourth's office just over a week later, finding it quite empty. She sighed, going to the desk and locating her usual pile of paper to be delivered around the building. She sorted through the pile, re-organizing it. Minato was not the most organized man she knew.

A bird flew into the window with a thud, making Murasaki jump, a jolt running through her body as she knocked the pile of papers over.  
The girl knelt on the floor to pick them up, re-sorting them as she went, completely unaware of the door opening and the elders entering with Danzou.

"This is neither the time nor the place to talk about this." Koharu snapped, her voice rising as the door slammed shut behind her. Murasaki froze, scooting farther under the desk, clutching the papers to her chest and holding her breath.

"Koharu-dono, where better to discuss this than the absolute last place Minato-san would be right now…" Danzou said with a sigh. Murasaki stayed stalk still, her heart beating in her ears.

"Let's get to the point…" Danzou said smoothly, the sound of his cane tapping against the floor as he walked. "Minato-kun is clearly bad for the village right now…so he must be forced to retire."

"Yes, that…" Koharu said with a huff, stepping towards the desk, Murasaki wishing she knew Minato's teleportation technique. The footsteps stopped and Murasaki held her breath as silence filled the room. "He's clearly not going to forfeit his title any time soon. The people love him, and he feels he has the village headed in the right direction. He's not going to just step down, especially since he's planning to get rid of us as the advisors."

"What if there was an accident. Nothing too destructive, just something that will shake his confidence a little." Danzou said, pausing for a moment as Murasaki heard the papers above her head ruffling slightly. "After which, we shall come to him again and make the proposal…"

"And just who do you propose to replace him?" Homura asked, his voice sounding much older than usual.

"Why me of course." Danzou said with a tinge of certainty.  
The room was silent.

"And what would the village benefit from that?"

Danzou sighed, striding over to the window. "Konoha has grown soft, and with Minato's policies, it will grow even softer. Soon, the village will be in shambles, waiting for opposing villages like Suna, Iwa, or Mizu to invade…I will change all of that. Konoha will be restored to it's former glory, as it should be, as the First intended it…"

Murasaki scooted farther back as Danzou walked around the corner of Minato's desk. The room was silent as the man stood there, his cane just inches away from Murasaki's feet.  
Suddenly, there was a loud 'Puff' sound and Minato's feet appeared beside Danzou's.

"So, what did I miss?" He asked, feigning brightness. The room was silent before Minato spoke again. "Come on, don't tell me the party is over…"

"We were just wondering why you weren't on duty…" Koharu said abruptly.

"Does it really take the three of you to figure that out? Kushina needed me."  
More silence followed.

"Minato-sama, you can't keep rushing off like that. It's bad for the village…" Homura said patiently.  
Danzou made a sound, stepping back swiftly from the desk. Minato stiffened visibly and before anyone else could react, Danzou pulled Murasaki out from under the desk by her hair. His eyes were full of malice as he dragged her up, Murasaki thinking quickly and kicking his bad knee. He let out a yowl and Murasaki dove behind Minato for cover.

"See, my office was in the perfectly capable hands of Murasaki-chan the entire time." Minato said, clearly aware that they were up to something. "After all, she is in training to become hokage."  
A white-hot shock ran down Murasaki's spine and in an instant voices were raised. The air was filled with shouting, but Minato held his hand up for silence, laughing.

"Calm down, calm down, it was a mere joke." He said, sitting down and picking up a pen.  
Each of the elders shot Minato a dirty look before leaving the room. Once they were all gone, Minato let out a sigh, turning to Murasaki.

"I don't think you should walk home alone tonight, Murasaki-chan."

OoO

Nearly two weeks had passed since the incident with Danzou, and Minato had cracked down on Murasaki's punctuality. Murasaki was always diligent to show up at Minato's office right after school, often seeing ANBU escorts on the rooftops around the village, but paying no mind to them. She often wondered why Minato hadn't asked her to repeat everything that had been said in the room that day, but dismissed it, storing the information away for another day when he did ask.

However, this day, Murasaki felt rather lackadaisical, having received her first failing grade on a test. She dawdled on the way to Minato's office , pausing to get some food with Gai and Iruka at a new ramen stand named Ichiraku's.  
She said a long goodbye to the pair and trudged slowly up the street, taking the long way to the Hokage building and letting her thoughts stray slightly along the way. Murasaki's thoughts were punctuated, however, by a boy shouting her name, the same sarcastic honorific following it.

"Murasaki-sama!"

"Hatake-chan. Not today…" Murasaki muttered without thinking, turning around to face him. "Why are you following me."

"Minato-sensei sent me to find you because you're late!" He snapped, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest, trying to look intimidating. Murasaki sighed, hanging her head.

"I don't need to be babysat…" She mumbled, shifting her bag, which was heavy with books.

"If it'll stop wasting time, I'll carry your books for you." Kakashi offered in a cutting tone. Murasaki smirked inwardly to herself.

"At least I can make him suffer a bit…"

"Sure, here you go, senpai." She replied with feigned enthusiasm, shoving the bag into his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He let out a huff, but took the bag without further resistance, cradling it to his chest.

"I don't remember the academy assigning this many books when I went there…" He grumbled, falling into step beside Murasaki. Murasaki sighed, putting her arms behind her head as she walked and watching him out of the corner of her eye. Even in their mutual sullen and grumpy state, Kakashi still looked kind of cute, in an odd sort of way. She blushed and looked away, looking up at the sky instead and reminding herself that he was, first and foremost, a jackass.

"Could you not walk like that?"

"Why?" Murasaki asked, stopping and letting her arms fall to her sides. Kakashi looked away, visible eye narrowed.

"It reminds me of…him, that's all…"

"Oh…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"That's ok…you didn't…I mean…ah…"  
The paused at a corner, just staring awkwardly at one another, both of their ill tempers forgotten momentarily.

"If you want, I can carry my bag from here…" Murasaki offered, reaching for the pack. "It's not much farther."

"No, no, that's ok…" Kakashi mumbled, cradling it to his chest as if it were something precious.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Toad Spawn failure!" Called an obnoxious voice that made Murasaki's stomach twist into knots. "Oooh, look, Toad Spawn has a boyfriend!"

"Minamoto-san…" Murasaki sighed under her breath. Kakashi said nothing as the black haired Megumi came closer to them, a smile spreading across her striking features.

"Did you hear, Toad Spawn? The war just ended, and tonight, the Hokage asked me to sing at the matsuri! I would say today is a good day, especially after passing that little test in class…" Megumi gloated, lifting a box for Murasaki to see. "See! I got brand new kimono."  
Murasaki said nothing, looking down at the box.

"You don't want to see it?" Megumi asked, pouting. "Well, then I guess you'll see it tonight…"

"Congratulations, Megumi-san…I'm sure it's lovely, I can't wait." Murasaki said mechanically, smiling slightly as she turned away. "I am happy for you…"  
Megumi hesitated slightly, clearly expecting to get a rise out of Murasaki.

"So, is this why you always go running from the academy? And here I thought you just didn't want to play with me." Megumi pressed, pushing her way between Murasaki and Kakashi. "I'm Megumi, please regard me favorably…" The Snake-lords daughter said with an elegant bow. Murasaki stepped back, her heart burning slightly with jealousy as Kakashi introduced himself to the other girl.

Anger was blooming in Murasaki's heart, not only at Megumi for being able to present herself better, but at herself for giving in to Megumi's bait.  
Immediately, it seemed that Kakashi and Megumi had hit it off in a small way, which only made Murasaki more upset.

_"That's because she's not a painful part of his past…she wasn't Obito's friend…but…that's why he should like me better…" _Murasaki thought bitterly, turning away as she fisted her hands beneath her kosode's sleeves. She didn't want Megumi to see her like this.

"Hey, Hatake-san, I'm going to go on ahead, I don't want to keep Minato-sensei waiting…" Murasaki said calmly.  
Without waiting for a response, Murasaki leapt onto the rooftops and looked around, trying to get a handle on exactly where she was.  
She spotted the Hokage building, it's crimson paint gleaming in the watery sunlight. Taking a deep breath, Murasaki focused her chakra, it being the first time she used this technique out of class. She began her journey, finding the use and control of chakra harder to apply in real life than in school.

Murasaki was almost to the Hokage building when she lost her footing on a loose roof tile, falling flat on her face and sliding down the steep incline, the rough clay tiles scraping at her skin and clothing. She suppressed a scream, her heart racing as she reached for something to hold on to, her fingers closing around the nearest thing possible.  
Feeling fabric beneath her fingers, Murasaki looked up, a chill running down her spine as she looked into the covered face of a man wearing ANBU armor over the top of traditional black hakama.

"Fujiwara no Murasaki…" The man said, his voice muffled behind the porcelain mask, as his hand fell on the hilt of his katana. "Die."

Murasaki tried to scream, but couldn't find her voice, watching in slow motion as the man unsheathed his katana, her eyes taking in every detail of the shining blade. She commanded her fingers to move, to let go of the man's ankle, but she found herself frozen in fear.  
Her mind raced as the sound of her own heartbeat filled her ears, and suddenly she found herself falling, the man disappearing from sight around the eaves as she fell steadily towards the ground. Murasaki's voice returned, and she found the breath to scream, but a hand suddenly covered her mouth as she felt a large body press into her back.

"You're safe now, Murasaki. Don't move or make a sound." She heard Minato's voice whisper. The world blurred around her and the next thing she knew she was collapsed on the floor in his office, the scrapes on her arms and face beginning to bleed slightly. Without warning, Murasaki began to cry. Minato knelt down beside her, handing her a handkerchief.

"I'm not going to yell at you, Murasaki, you've been through enough today…" He said softly as the door to his office burst open.

"Minato-sensei! Murasaki's missing!"

"I found her, Kakashi." Minato said evenly, standing up, his white cloak swirling gracefully in his wake. "You're in trouble, though. I told you not to let her out of your sight. In the future, I would not advise you get distracted, no matter how sweet the flower seems." The Hokage said calmly, though his words made Kakashi cringe visibly.

"What's going on?" Murasaki sobbed, doing her best to wipe the blood off her face and hold back her tears.  
Minato sighed, turning back towards her with his hand on his hip.

"Murasaki-chan, I know you are familiar with the nature of shinobi, and I think you cannot grow if we continue to coddle you. I don't know for certain if it was you or your father that made the enemy here, but it is perfectly clear now that someone wants you dead." He said softly.  
Murasaki shook her head, crossing her arms over her knees.

"Why…? Why? I haven't done anything…why would someone want me dead?" She asked shakily, trying to wipe the tears away from her eyes.

"Think carefully, Murasaki-chan, is there anything you've done, anything you've said to anyone? Anything you've hear-" Minato broke off, his azure eyes suddenly alight with fire. "Murasaki-chan, where's your father?"

"Home, I think…he might be running an errand again…" Murasaki said, her body shaking slightly, though she tried to hide it.

"Kakashi, I need you to go get Jiraiya-sensei. He and I need to have a word." Minato said with a forced calm as the door swung open again.

"Danzou-san, what brings you here." Minato said sharply without turning around.  
Kakashi visibly stiffened at the sight of the one eyed man hobbling towards them, his face unreadable.

"Minato-kun, I heard there was an attack on one of the villagers today…"  
Minato nodded. "Yes, she is fine, however, a little shaken up…"

"Do they know who was behind it?"

"No, we were just about to launch the investigation."  
Danzou nodded, his eye falling on Murasaki, who tried and failed to stare bravely back at him. He just had this uneasy feeling about him…

"Good, It would be a truly terrible thing if something happened to our little Murasaki Shikibu-sama…she is after all the favored one…"

"Don't address her so…She is not…" Kakashi faltered slightly as the older man's eye fell on him. Kakashi hesitated, taking a step back, closer to Murasaki.

"She's not what?" Danzou asked politely, resting heavily on his cane.

"She's not…Murasaki Shikibu…" Kakashi muttered, his resolve visibly failing. Murasaki wiped her eyes, staring up at Kakashi in wonder. "And she's not popular with anyone!"

The entire room fell silent and Murasaki stared at Kakashi. Danzou laughed, patting Kakashi annoyingly on the head.

"So charming…" The man said, turning and walking to the door.

"Minato-sama, if this investigation falls to the back of your pile, ROOT would be more than willing to take it on for you…"

"Thank you for the offer…" Minato said with a polite bow. "But I must decline. I have already put some of Konoha's top men on this case."

Danzou nodded. "Have it your way, then." He said, closing the door behind him. Minato let out a sigh of frustration, striding over to his desk and rifling through the papers.  
Kakashi stared down at Murasaki, who was staring at the door in bewilderment.

"Murasaki-san?"  
The polite honorific broke Murasaki from her train of thoughts.

"Yes?"

"What did he mean about 'the favored one'?"

" I don't know…" Murasaki said softly, visibly shaking by now.

"He was referring to a comment I made about her becoming Hokage someday…" Minato said though gritted teeth. "And at the rate he's going, it might just be true."  
Kakashi sighed, his face unreadable beneath the mask as he tossed Murasaki's book bag on the floor beside her.

"Sorry about that whole…'nearly getting killed' thing." Kakashi muttered, sounding almost bitter as he turned away.  
There was a sharp knock on the window that shook the glass panel, and everyone looked up to see Jiraiya standing outside, his face full of unspeakable anger.  
Minato wrenched the window open, allowing his former sensei to come in.

"Can't you use the door like a normal person?"

"Where is she?"  
Minato motioned to the floor where Murasaki sat. Jiraiya crossed the room and Murasaki felt her heart leap into her throat.

"D-dad?"  
Without warning, he scooped her up in his arms, pulling her close to his chest.

"Thank the merciful Buddha's you're all right…" He whispered into her hair.

"Dad…" She whispered, fisting her hands in his shirt and suddenly bursting into tears as she realized the full severity of the situation. Kakashi turned farther away, as if averting his eyes from the situation.  
Jiraiya released his daughter, standing up fully as she stood beside him, her slender hand clutched protectively in his large, rough one.

"Do you know what you're going to do, sensei?" Minato asked, pulling a paper out of the middle of the pile on his desk.  
Jiraiya nodded, tightening his grip on Murasaki's hand.

"Yeah, I got it…" Jiraiya said with certainty, though he hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.

"No, sensei, we don't have any leads, at least not ones I can say right now. At this point, all it would be is pointing fingers…" Minato said in a tired voice, signing a paper and handing it to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya nodded, taking the paper. "I understand…Murasaki, I think we should go home now…don't worry, you'll be safe with me…"

Murasaki nodded, glancing at Kakashi's troubled face as her father pulled her out of the room.


	5. Matsuri

A/N: I suck!

Please forgive me for this! I'm so terrible!

* * *

藤原のムラサキです。

Once Murasaki arrived home with Jiraiya, he turned to her, stroking her hair gently as he knelt down in front of her.

"Murasaki, listen, you have been ordered to leave Konoha for a while, until Minato-san can sort this whole thing out." he said, showing her the paper Minato handed him. Murasaki frowned, but nodded.

"I think I understand…"

"Good…now go pack some things, not much though. You'll just need the absolute basics…"  
Murasaki sighed, disappearing into her bedroom and sitting on her bed, looking around.  
About the time it started to fell like her life was going all right, something would happen…she'd been doing so well in school, too…not the best marks, but she was doing better than Iruka…she was beginning to make good, solid friendships and people were just starting to acknowledge her as a member of the village.

_ "Why is someone trying so hard to kill me? What did I do to them?" Her mind raced through all the possibilities. "Koharu, Homura, Danzou…Koaharu and Homura had seemed nice at first, but they want Minato out of office…I don't know if they are right about what he's doing to the village, but he seems good to me…Danzou must be the one that wants me dead…but he came in to see if I was ok…and offered ROOT to help…but then again, it was probably an act. It would be much easier to kill me then…"_ Her hand fell across the journal her dad had given her, and a sudden thought struck her. _"Danzou recommended that a little accident occur to shake Minato, so he would be more apt to step down…perhaps it was supposed to just be a close call…But…I'm not that important to the village and…dad's just…well…dad…right?"_

There was a knock on the door and Jiraiya came in.

"Murasaki…" he said softly, sitting down on her bed and beckoning her forward.

"I don't want to leave, dad…" She said quietly as she sat down beside him, journal in hand.

"I don't want you to go, either…" He whispered, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I've already missed out on so much of your childhood…and because of all of this…" The sannin shook his head. "Murasaki, I love you so much…"

Murasaki leaned against her father, listening to his heartbeat through his shirt while thinking hard about what he just said.  
"You're not coming with me, are you, dad…?" She deduced out loud.

Jiraiya pulled her closer, rubbing her back. "No, sweetheart, I'm not…it would look too suspicious…you should understand this, it's one of the first things they teach at the academy…"

"I know, dad…" She whispered into the cloth of his shirt, the journal opening to a poem she had written after one of her infamous incidents with Kakashi.

"I have a feeling you knew what it was like to be a kunoichi long before you came here…" He said with a soft smile, pulling her onto his lap and cradling her like a small child. Murasaki didn't even think of protesting the immature treatment, simply leaning in closer and letting a stray tear fall down here face.

"Now, now, none of that…" Jiraiya said, rubbing her back gently. "Be strong for your daddy. We'll clear this up soon, I promise… you need to get ready, your escort will be here in a few moments."

Murasaki nodded, climbing off of her fathers lap as she gathered her things in a small bag, pausing before tossing the journal on top. At the last minute she changed her mind, tearing the page with the poem out and folding it up.

"I know you're strong, Murasaki, I know you can handle this…you've lived without me before…" Jiraiya muttered, more to himself than to her. Murasaki held back her tears as she followed him into the living room. Her thoughts spun around all of the friends she had made in the village, her slender fingers curled around the poem.

"Dad…" Murasaki asked cautiously, the air in the apartment feeling heavy.

"What, Murasaki…" Jiraiya asked, leaning against the kitchen counter as she sat down.

"When I leave, I want you to make sure nothing happens to Minato-sama…I think he's in danger…"  
Jiraiya nodded, his face serious.

"Murasaki, the Hokage is in a perpetual state of danger. I understand you concern, but Minato is safe. He's going to be around for a while."  
Murasaki knitted her brows, biting her lip.

"That's not what I mean…he shouldn't step down, no matter what happens. I think today was something done to scare him, not you or I…"

"What makes you think that?"  
Murasaki paused, blue-grey eyes cast to the floor. "Because I overheard something in Minato-sama's office, that the elders and Danzou-san were trying to get Minato to step down…Danzou-san wanted to do something that would scare Minato-sama into stepping down…"

Jiraiya pulled his daughter into a hug.

"I know, he and I both know they are up to something. I'm going to be put in charge of keeping an eye on Kushina-san, and Minato has guards and escorts. He doesn't plan on stepping down anytime soon. Besides, he's got Kakashi-san here to protect him. I know you two don't get along well…but Kakashi-san is one of the best…" Jiraiya said, wiping the tears from Murasaki's face. Murasaki paused, thinking for a moment.

"You know full well I'm not coming back, right? This will never get solved…this is for Kakashi-san. I just have this feeling I won't see him again…" She whispered, handing her father the poem.

"Don't say that, Murasaki…please don't say that…I promise when you come back, the village won't have changed a bit…"

"Don't lie to me, dad…" She thought as he pulled her closer. "The village is like…like the leaves on a tree…it will always change dependant on how the wind blows…and one blossom separated form the tree won't matter…" She fisted her hands in his shirt and held back another sob as she realized exactly how insignificant she really was.

The bittersweet moment was torn apart, however, by a knock on the door.

"That is your escort out of the village." Jiraiya said pulling away and cupping her face in his hands. "If you can't be brave, be good. I know you're a lady, but you've got spunk…"  
Murasaki nodded and Jiraiya opened the door to reveal a teenager wrapped in the robes of a Buddhist priest.

"She's not ready?" The teen asked, looking at Murasaki in confusion.

"I couldn't bring myself to do it…"  
Murasaki frowned, standing up. "Do what?"

"Sit down…" The teen instructed, entering the apartment. "This will not take long, just be patient."  
Jiraiya handed the boy a pair of scissors.

"Don't hurt her…"  
Without warning, the monk seized her ponytail, cutting it off as close to the base as he could, nearly nicking her scalp.  
Murasaki scooted away, falling to the floor as she struggled to run. She could see the tears in Jiriaya's eyes as the monk advanced on her. Murasaki felt like screaming as she reached up and touched the cut end of her hair in shock.

"Dad! Why…?" Her mind raced, trying to find reason for this seemingly irrational behavior.

"Murasaki…I'm so sorry…please forgive me…" He said, holding back tears as he gripped her shoulders, forcing her to hold still, but not in a threatening way. "Just bear with us, sweetheart, I'm doing this for your own good…"

Murasaki wept but complied, her total trust of her father winning out over fear as she watched her brown locks fall to the floor, the monk chanting in a soft voice as he did so. When the monk was done, he set the scissors aside.  
Gingerly, Murasaki reached up, her head completely bare from the teenage monk's handiwork.

"I'm bald…" She whispered in shock running her fingers over the stiff stubble.

"From now on, you are to live at the Fire Temple…until this gets cleared up and you can go home…" The monk said softly said, wiping one of her tears away gently. "No one is to know that you are the daughter of a sannin, Fujiwara no Murasaki…for now your name is Nozomu, the bastard son of a defunct shinobi …"

Murasaki nodded, trying to control her emotions as her father let go of her. She was still quite shocked, her skin prickling with that cool, tingling feeling, much like after the shock she had received earlier that day. The monk handed her a set of the same roughly woven robes that he wore.

"Please change swiftly…" He said with a sympathetic smile. Murasaki nodded, still quite shocked, taking her bundle and disappearing. She didn't feel like herself at all as she stood in front of the mirror, her dark eyelashes standing out even more against the pale flesh, the red streaks beneath her eyes standing out more as well. It didn't feel at all like that was reality…the person in the mirror couldn't have been her…

She was not permitted to speak to her father, simply giving him a backwards glance as she left the apartment, proceeding down the steps and along the street. It was maddening to see people she knew well all decked out in traditional kimono and hakama, not recognizing her as she passed. Murasaki knew better than to draw attention to herself, so she kept her newly bald head down. They passed a group of girls from the academy, Megumi standing amongst them in a beautiful flowered kimono. The girls laughter grew louder as she passedMurasaki withheld a gasp and hid her face, trotting to catch up to the monk, who smiled back at her.  
Anger and jealously burned in Murasaki's heart as she thought of Megumi. Murasaki wanted to be allowed to stay in the village…wanted the freedom to stand in front of a crowd and sing, and look beautiful in a kimono…and instead she was being snuck out, dressed as a boy with a shaved head…

"We have a long walk back to the temple…" The monk whispered said, guiding her through the massive green doors that marked the entrance and exit of the village.  
The two traveled in silence for a long time, Murasaki too scared and angry to speak. It was nightfall before the monk broke the silence.

"We're not stopping for the night, we're going to press on, Nozomu-san…" He said, stretching slightly. "I know you're not used to it, but we're in too much danger not to."  
Murasaki nodded, gathering up her robes and continuing on.

"Walk less gracefully, you're not a girl anymore." He said sharply. Murasaki nodded timidly, trying to put a swagger in her step. He laughed out loud, not in a hurtful manner, but out of genuine amusement.

"You look arrogant like that…you are a monk now, remember that." He said. "And another thing…" he said, dropping his voice low. "Listen to me, Nozomu, there are only three monks total who know who you are, myself included. We are sworn never to reveal that secret, even if we were to be tortured…" He trailed off, his eyes flicking up to something he saw off in the trees. "tell no one who you are, don't even talk to me about it unless it is an emergency."

Murasaki nodded as they rounded the corner, the temple in plain sight. The pair went in, and though it was night, the main room of the temple was full of the sound of chanting monks. They passed the open door and an enormous stone Buddha caught her eye as hundreds of monks knelt before it in prayer. The sight caught Murasaki's breath, making her want to stop and stare, but something seemed to be troubling the young monk.

"Hurry, you don't have much time to sleep before morning." He said, rushing her off to show her the building where the monks slept. The straw mats were laid out in perfect rows, though no one else seemed to be asleep. "I hope you didn't expect the beds to be as comfortable as you are accustomed to in Konohagakure. You'll get used to the chanting soon enough."

"I don't mind…" She said softly. The monk nodded, showing her where she was to sleep before leaving quickly and quietly.  
Murasaki was thankful for the rest, her feet and head aching as she lay down quietly on the straw mat. It reminded her slightly of the shrine, though no one chanted at the shrine…

XxX

Minato stood behind his desk with crossed arms, the elders standing firmly behind him as Danzou stared at the hokage. The noise of the Matsuri outside seemed unreal compared to this moment, the fireworks lighting up the office and making the blond seem all the more imposing.  
Minato had spoken to Jiraiya earlier, after Murasaki's departure, and confirmed his fears with him. It wasn't until they cracked under pressure did the elders confess of the plan.

"I'm taking ROOT out if commission." Minato said firmly, tilting his golden head back and staring the older man down. "ROOT clearly does not function on the same wavelength as the village. For the sake of the village's safety, and the safety of those in the ROOT, I am going to have to do this."  
Danzou looked less than pleased, hissing slightly as Minato spoke.

"Konoha cannot function without ROOT." Danzou sneered. "If you want the village out of danger, then you should abandon your soft policies and step down."

"Over my dead body." Minato said calmly. "I will die before I see the village fall into a strictly military state. It was negotiations that got us out of this war, and you know it to be the truth…"

"A war that we get nothing from but a fragile peace with Sunagakure…a war that took so many people? The villagers want justice for their loss, compensation…I think you know what I'm talking about: that misfit Uchiha student of yours…don't you want to avenge him?" Danzou said sharply, eyeing Minato.  
Minato's eyes flashed with anger, though his calm demeanor hid it well.

"If we continue to fight, more will die. The only answer for peace is to forgive. We were wronged, but if we hold grudges against those who wronged us, we will become something terrible." Minato said calmly, reciting what Jiraiya had told him. "I you do not comply, we can make arrangements for the alternative."  
Danzou clearly didn't like being threatened back, and backed down. As he left, he paused at the door, clearly wanting to say something, but biting his tongue in turn.  
Koharu and Homura let out an unanimous sigh.

"I see what you mean…" Minato said quietly, looking out across the village, which had been lit with multicolored lanterns, more fireworks blossoming in the darkened sky. "But hopefully the Anti-Aggression treaty we are set to sign tomorrow will change things. I really feel this is the path to true peace…"

Homura nodded, hesitating slightly. "Are you certain?"  
Minato sighed, turning to face them.

"Nothing in this world is certain. People's theories and treaties change, and peace cannot exist without war. We can only trust Wind's daimyo to not go back on his word, as we can only trust the Fire's daimyo to do the same. That is not to say that we will never see war, but it will make the next one more bearable. I believe that someday, Konoha will not have to resort to violence to solve it's problems."  
The room was silent, the Matsuri raging on outside, the taiko drums making the atmosphere inside the room seem tense.

"If you don't mind…" Minato said quietly. "I would like to be alone right now."

"Understood, Minato-sama…" The elders said with a bow, closing the door as they left. Minato sighed.

"You can come out now, Kakashi…"  
Kakashi appeared stiffly in front of his sensei's desk.

"Sensei, are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Minato said, flashing his student a forced grin. "But I have a very important mission for you…"

"What is it?"

"I know you've wanted this for a long time…and I think I've put it off for long enough." Minato said softening his smile until it seemed almost sad. "I have made arrangements for you to join ANBU…"  
Kakashi's visible eye lit up, but then he hesitated.

"I'm honored, sensei…but before I say anything…could I ask you one thing?"

"What is it?"

"What happened to Murasaki-san…she was supposed to be at the Matsuri, right? I didn't see her…"  
Minato shook his head with a sad smile.

"Why? Were you looking for her?" the Yellow Flash teased, watching his only surviving student blush. "You know I can't tell you that…" He said softly, turning away. "But I would advise that you visit the Fire temple more…I think you'll find your heart a little more at peace."

Kakashi shook his head, looking at Minato's reflection in the glass.

"Sorry, Sensei, but I'm not the religious type."  
Minato turned with a smile.

"Now, don't be so contrary, Kakashi…" He said, pulling out the piece of paper Jiraiya had given him earlier. "Murasaki did leave this for you, though…"

Kakashi took the paper from his sensei, not certain he wanted to read Murasaki's words. He didn't think he could bear the loss of another comrade, another person he had dared to call friend…  
He unfolded the note and let out a sigh. He'd been expecting a farewell letter, but what he got in it's place was an informal waka.

_"The Wisteria blossom  
Her petals open to the breeze,  
Only to be struck down  
By the sorrowful desolate Field  
For whom the blossom mourns."_

Kakashi looked up from the poem, his emotions mixed as he struggled to decode the meanings.

"There's too many syllables. It's not proper."  
Minato shook his head.

"You're never going to change, are you?" He asked, ruffling his students hair affectionately as fireworks lit up the office. There was a deafening boom and the office lit up with orange light yet again.

"Sensei!"  
Minato turned around to face the window, his blood running cold as the hulking form of the Kyuubi could be seen over the rooftops of the village. The world seemed to fall quiet for a brief moment in time before the windows were blown out of the building, a shockwave rattling the entire city.

"What…?"  
The door burst open to reveal Jiraiya carrying Kushina bridal style, the pregnant woman passed out in his arms.

"Minato, we have a problem."

"No kidding…" Minato hissed, shaking the broken glass off of his coat. "Is she all right?"

"No, she was hit with a piece of debris…and her water broke…"

XxX

Danzou stood in the trees, his face lit with the glow from the flames of the village, the Kyuubi having decimated a little less than half of it. He heard the man step up behind him and turned slightly to see the masked Uchiha, his black cloak swirling around him in the heated breeze.

"Konoha wreaks of garbage…" the man said, his voice deadly and low.  
Danzou nodded. "But soon it will be done, and Minato-kun will have no choice but to make me Hokage…"

"And then Konoha will ally with Mist…" The Uchiha finished, crimson flashing beneath his mask.

"Right…" Danzou said, nodding with a slight bit of uncertainty.  
"You're making me think you're having second thoughts about our little deal." The Uchiha whispered.

"No, never, Madera-sama…" Danzou said, forcing himself to feign honesty.  
Madera was quiet for a long time, the sound of the Kyuubi's roar sounding more distant.

"They're leading it away…" Madera whispered, a smile on his voice. "What do they think they will achieve?"  
The forest was silent, Danzou beginning to sweat a little from Madera's oppressive presence.

"Well, then…I believe we have some children in Amegakure who need to be taught a lesson…and I do believe you and your squad owe me one, and Hanzou is not the patient sort…" Madera said, turning away. Danzou nodded, following the older man into the trees. Danzou didn't like where this was going…not one bit…

XxX


	6. Burn

A/N: This time, it's my computer that sucks, not just me.

it crashed for the last time about three weeks ago. I've been writing this whole thing out by hand, and typing it up when I can, which is like, never.

Please bear with me, I'm trying very hard. Hopefully the story will come out better because of this. It's high time I learn firsthand what I am trying to teach through this story: that every hardship makes things better and more beautiful.

Sorry for all the OOC-ness. I hope it's making it more interesting.

* * *

藤原のムラサキです。

Murasaki awoke to the sorrowful-sounding knell of the temple bells only three hours after she had arrived.

She sat up groggily, rubbing her head, which felt remarkably like sandpaper from the budding stubble. After but a few moments of her foggy gaze, she began to notice that the room around her was empty, save for hundreds of woven _tatami _futons.

Murasaki stood, smoothing out the lines in her robes as she stumbled over to the bell shaped window to peer out. Only a few elderly monks traversed the temple courtyard, looking as if they had stepped out of a sumi-e painting as they made their way to give homage to the Amida Buddha.

Murasaki frowned: there should have been more monks than that. Last night, or rather, this morning, she had seen and heard at least a hundred, maybe more.

_"Where could everyone have gone? Surely they aren't all running errands? A temple must be hard to run, but…not all of the monks should be gone, right…?"_ She thought, looking around for the exit. Murasaki slipped out of the main door, looking around her as she emerged into the budding sunlight.

Immediately, she spotted ten monks, much younger than herself, sparring with quarterstaffs in the early morning air. The soft breeze rose and with it carried a putrid scent that caught Murasaki's attention, making her stomach twist into knots. Looking around, she found a frail looking ladder that led onto the rooftop of the sleeping quarters. Of course she had been taught to scale walls, it was one of the first things they taught new students, but Murasaki wasn't ready to give herself away just yet. She gripped the slender rungs in her hands, unsure if the ladder would hold her weight, testing it cautiously.

She ascended the ladder and emerged on top of the roof, weary of the clay tiles beneath her feet. When she finally looked up, she saw two of the most life changing things imaginable. The first was an elderly monk with a noble-looking face, smoking a tobacco pipe as his black eyes peered off into the distance above the trees. The second, and more shocking, was when she followed the man's jet-black gaze, a great plume of black and grey smoke rose into the sky.

"Master?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper as her heart leapt into her throat. 'What is that?" The rooftop fell silent for a long time. The monk just sat there, puffing his pipe like Jiraiya would when he was nervous, unblinking black eyes focusing dreamily on the distant plume.

At long last, the monk finally removed his pipe from his mouth and looked at Murasaki plainly. He did not greet her, nor answer her question; he simply looked her up and down.

"You're a strange boy, aren't you?"

It was not truly a question so much as a rude observation, which left Murasaki uncertain of what to say in response. Instead, she simply stood there shivering in the pale morning light, as the plume of smoke rose farther into the atmosphere.

It was unexplainable, but something felt as if it were terribly wrong. The world was too quiet, , leaving a ringing sound in the young Miko's ears. Even the sound of the young monk's sparring below seemed lessened.

Murasaki frowned. Usually by this time of day, birds would have been singing, and there would have been more activity in the surrounding woods. Her eyes drifted once again to the plume before the realization of the exact location hit her.

The monk, who had been observing her out of the corner of his eye, leaned back a little, taking a long drag from his pipe.

"Konohagakure is in flames." He said quietly. "sit down, young monk, there is nothing at present we can do."

Murasaki's skin prickled from shock as soft blue-grey eyes drank in the darkening plume. At long last, Murasaki's voice returned to her.

"Master, how can we just stand here?" She queried, forcing herself to remain calm despite her wildly beating heart. She felt like screaming, jumping off the rooftop and running back to Konoha...

"I am not standing." he replied after a moment of silence. It was obviously not the answer Murasaki was looking for. She turned around in frustration, and began to make her way back to the rickety ladder.

"What could we do, anyway?"

Murasaki stopped, looking back at the monk as she knit her eyebrows. What could she do?

_"He's right...I am after all, just an academy student...I'd only get underfoot..."_ She thought bitterly, turning back to stand beside the elderly monk. The sun rose higher into the sky, making the dark roof tiles unbearably hot. Murasaki shielded her eyes with her hand, the plume in the distance lessening a little.

"Are you going to stand all morning, or are you going to sit?" the monk asked, his ebony eyes never leaving the dark pillar of smoke. Murasaki sat quietly with her hand to her brow, as if in salute to her fallen shinobi comrades. A soft October breeze made the smoke rise higher into the air, carrying with it the scent of burning garbage. Murasaki couldn't help but let a few stray tears roll down her face.

Her thoughts strayed to the people in the village; her father, Minato, Kushina, Iruka, Gai...Kakashi...

Murasaki bit her lip to keep from sobbing, covering her mouth with her hand to hide her emotions.

"Now, now," the monk said, reaching out a bony hand and patting her shoulder gently. "They say the death toll is low, thanks to Yondaime-sama..."

Murasaki frowned. "Yondaime?"

The monk nodded solumnly. "Last night, the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to save the Village."

Muraskai stared at the monk, a cold, electric jolt running down her spine.

"Master...you...Minato-sama...he's dead?"

The monk nodded, his dark eyes looking unfathomably sad. Murasaki knew she was crying, though she couldn't feel it. Her body must have been trembling, but she didn't notice. The truth was, she was too terrified to notice such things...

"If the Fourth had not died, the Village would have been destroyed. He did his sacred duty until the end, as Hokage."

Murasaki let out a shameless sob before collapsing face down on the clay roof tiles.

"Minato-sama..." She sobbed, the hot tiles pressing into her cheekbone. She saw the monk stand up, his sandaled feet making a soft sound as he walked past.

"The troops are returning from Konohagakure."

XxX

That night, Murasaki sat quietly in the room full of Tatami futons. She had not been able to stop crying since that morning.

The elderly monk had tried half-heartedly to console her, and many of the other monks had given up hope on the newest acolyte.

In the distant night, Murasaki could hear the monks chanting from the sutras in honor of the 'Fourth'. Naturally, this only added to her melancholic state.

After three days of her not eating nor speaking, the monks began to wonder if she had taken a vow of silence.

"How moving." One of the monks muttered with a slight tint of sarcasm after he had failed to coerce her into eating. "To shut ones mouth and cease all communication with the world..."

Finally, the monk from the roof, who's name turned out to be Yoshida Kenko, took pity on her.

"Do you hope to achieve enlightenment by starving yourself?" He asked, offering her a bowl of steamed rice. Murasaki looked up with hollowed eyes.

"I'm sorry, master Kenko..." She said, her voice coming out cracked and hoarse from not using it. "I'm not hungry." she finished just as her stomach let out a loud growl. Murasaki's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she looked away.

Master Kenko smiled, thrusting the rice into her hands, along with a pair of lacquered chopsticks. Murasaki didn't feel like eating, but her body felt weak and her ribs were aching from hunger.

"You are doing a greater disservice t the Fourth if you waist away."

Murasaki looked down at the bowl and began to eat it slowly while Master Kenko watched carefully.

"There is no need for such delicate manners." He said in a teasing tone, his dark eyes glittering with amusement as he sat down with a groan. Murasaki paused looking up with wide eyes as her heart nearly stopped.

_"He knows...."_ she thought, wondering is she should throw the bowl and run."_Even so...I've been sitting here for so long...I doubt I could get away fast enough..."_

Without warning, Master Kenko started laughing, placing a hand affectionately on her head.

"Don't be so worried." He laughed, dark eyes sparking in amusement. Murasaki couldn't help but feel somewhat annoyed at this behavior.

_"How can he be so...happy...? Minato-sama is dead...but perhaps he wasn't as acquainted with Minato-sama as I...or maybe..." _Murasaki thought, narrowing her eyes dangerously as Kenko laughed. _"Maybe he's working for whoever is trying to kill me...maybe this rice is poisoned..."_

A million similar thoughts raced down that track in her head as she frowned down at the rice in her hands. Muraskai made a mental note to keep an eye on him during her stay at the temple.

XxX

Jiraiya stared in annoyance and anger at Danzou and the elders. He had really begun to think the elders were coming around, and now this...

He turned his angry eyes to his former sensei, who once again wore the title of 'Hokage'.

"You must be joking." the Toad Sage hissed, bristling slightly as Danzou's face remained impassive, though his dark eyes glittered with malice.

"Do you think it strange, Hokage-sama, that Jiraiya-san's daughter was whisked away from the Village the very night that the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked? And on top of that, the Fourth was preparing to step down, naming Jiraiya-san in his place." Danzou said with all the charm of a snake. Sarutobi rubbed the flesh between his eyebrows as he looked through what was left of Minato's papers.

"These allegations, Danzou, are ludicrous and unfounded. There is no evidence of this." Sarutobi said, looking up at the one-eyed leader of ROOT. Jiraiya crossed his arms, looking over at Danzou.

"Why else would these things occur?" Danzou asked, leaning heavily on his cane. "Unless you're favoring your student, Hokage-sama…?"

"Murasaki left because somewhat was trying to kill her." Jiraiya said with forced calm, his patience quickly wearing thin. His nerves were fraying more and more with each moment Danzou continued to live.

"Well, then, what better place for a girl in danger than in the hands of people specifically trained to protect her?" danzou asked, specifically aggravating Jiraiya.

Jiraiya knew full well what Danzou was doing, and he wasn't going to fall for it. The room fell silent, and one could almost feel the tension between the five people.

"Surely you don't think someone inside the village is at fault for this?" Danzou pressed further, raising an eyebrow. Jiraiya clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to maintain his temper. He was usually a pretty patient man, but he found that patience wearing thing at the moment.

"Oh course not." Jiraiya snapped, but the damage had already been done. Danzou's visible eye lit up, though he tried to conceal his delight at this new information.

"Please give Jiraiya-san and I a few moments." Sarutobi said, also masking his irritation with a forced calm. Danzou now seemed oddly eager to leave, though Koharu and Homura eyed both Sarutobi and Jiraiya wearily as they left.

Once the door was shut, an unearthly silence fell upon the room.

"Jiraiya, what do you think you can do to disprove these allegations?" Sarutobi asked, peering at his former student over the top of patiently folded hands.

"The only things I can fall back on is the paperwork that the Fourth left in the wake of his death, and the testimony of my daughter and a boy who has sworn an oath to shed his identity." Jiraiya said, letting out a sigh of frustration.

"You are referring, of course, to Hatake Kakashi-san… Naturally, he cannot be asked to testify due to the delicate nature of his current mission. You are in quite a tough situation. As you know, The Fourth's office and apartment were deliberately torched the night of the Kyuubi's attack. All that remains of the Fourth's personal legacy is what you see on this desk, and what is sealed inside the infant Uzumaki Naruto." Sarutobi said, looking old beyond his years as he examined the charred papers oin his desk.

"What about Murasaki's assassination attempt? What about the investigation behind it?" Jiraiya snapped, sounding more stand-offish than he intended. He was losing his calm, it was true, but he missed his daughter so much it hurt. Sarutobi sighed, wiping the charred paper fragments off his desk.

"The entire investigation was all lost. Convenient, I know. The man heading the investigation was killed by a stray kunai the night of the Kyuubi's attack, and two others were killed in a building collapse. The last living investigator is too afraid to speak."

"But isn't that proof enough to act against Danzou? Don't you think that those are suspicious enough circumstances?" Jiraiya pressed.

"I do find them suspicious, personally, however, I have no legal right to pursue Danzou as connected to the assassination attempt any more than I can pursue the allegations made against you just now. I will do what I can, but the Village's case files a backlogged." Sarutobi said, glancing over at the window.

"I understand, sensei…" Jiraiya said with a slight, irritated bow. "Thank you."

"In the meantime, we must throw Danzou off of your back for the time being." Sarutobi said, packing his pipe and lighting it as he watched his former student. Jiraiya stared soberly back at him, wondering what the Third Hokage had in mind for him.

"I've been meaning to ask, sensei, about Uzumaki Naruto. Who is in charge of his care?"

Sarutobi let out a slow breath of smoke, the foggy cloud concealing his eyes as he watched Jiraiya, who fidgeted as if he were a young child again.

"I wondered when you were going to ask me about that." Sarutobi said with a sigh, his shoulders falling. "Don't worry, he is in full protective custody. The Village will take good care of him."

Jiraiya nodded sadly, biting his tongue for all the things he wanted to say. It was, after all, his duty as naruto's gosfather to ensure the boy survived to adulthood. Jiraiya had a feeling Naruto's true identity was concealed to make sure the child didn't become a target for Danzou, or whoever it was that had been trying to get to Minato.

The Third let out another breath of smoke, the scent of tobacco filling the air.

"In the meantime…ANBU has stumbled across another one of Orochimaru's labs…it seems he was trying to fuse the DNA of children with the DNA of the First Hokage…I want you to head the investigation. There is no telling what will be down there, and since you are most familiar with Orochimaru's work…"

But Jiraiya wasn't listening. His thoughts were on the little blond baby that looked so much like the Fourth it wasn't even funny, his mind echoing with the last request of the child's secret father. Jiraiya's thoughts strayed to his own child, and his own perceived failure as a father. Murasaki had been cut from the Village like a disease, and was now living in exile…

These sacrifices were all for the Village, and he was not about to negate such sacrifice.

Sarutobi cleared his throat, yanking Jiraiya back into reality.

"You understand your duties? The closer you work with ANBU the easier it will be to make Danzou seem paranoid."

"I understand, sensei."

"Good. Dismissed." Sarutobi said with a wave. Jraiya frowned, but left.

XxX

Sarutobi waited for five full minutes after Jiraiya left before summoning a young ANBU black-op.

"Burn these files." Sarutobi said solemnly, handing the charred remains of the files over to the ANBU. "It's best this way. I will not let this whole thing tear the village apart. The Kyuubi's attack weakened us physically; we cannot let dissent from within weaken it further."

The ANBU hesitated slightly, but consented, leaving quickly. Sarutobi stood up, looking out the window, puffing thoughtfully on his tobacco pipe.

"Sacrifices must be made, Jiraiya, you know that…"


	7. Sarutobi

A/N: Really quick and sloppy update. I don't have much time...

I'm sorry, duckies.

If you are confused by now, no worries, It'll all come full circle.

I got some awesome reviews last chapter, and I just want to express my gratitude. Thank you all so very much!

* * *

藤原のムラサキです。

Nearly eight weeks had passed since Konoha had been attacked, and Murasaki found herself full of mixed emotions. She was still sickened and close to tears on thoughts about Minato and Konoha, and on top of that, she was still horribly suspicious of the monk, Yoshida Kenko.

Despite all of this, Murasaki didn't have much time to herself to dwell on such issues, save for what little time had been set aside for her to meditate. The monks at the Temple had decided that she would have no choice but to catch up to the other monks her age, but perhaps this was because they knew that keeping her busy would take her mind off of Konoha. Though to Murasaki, after so long away, even Konoha felt like nothing more than the memory of a distant dream.

Keeping an eye on Master Kenko had proved to be an easier task than Murasaki had expected, for Kenko had taken a personal interest in Murasaki's development, as not only a shinobi-monk, but as a poet.

In her time spent with Kenko, Murasaki learned many things about the man; He was a well known poet, retired from the Daimyo's court, a bit of an alcoholic, a horrible lecher towards any woman who crossed his path, and terribly discriminatory against said gender. These last two facts are what led Murasaki to deduce that he was not on to her secret.

One warm night in early December, as she and Kenko sat on the dais of the porch, watching a slight snow fall from the sky, he let out a contented sigh.

"Ah, Nozomu-san, what did you think of the works of Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon?"

Murasaki was silent, feeling as if there were more to the question than simply asking for her opinion. Luckily, Master Kenko didn't wait long for her answer before he offered up his own opinion.

"I find both women to be shallow and full of self-inflation...that is why women were never made to write poetry...the intentions of a woman's heart are always hidden and you can never trust them..."

Murasaki looked at him reproachfully, balancing the classical Chinese scroll she had been instructed to read delicately on her knees. Kenko had sent for the scrolls from the Daimyo's library, insisting that Murasaki receive a 'proper' education. She couldn't help but feel as if he were living out his own dreams through her in a way, insisting that she would be a 'novelty' in the daimyo's court.

"Hurry with those scrolls. I will not have my apprentice looking as if he a simple country monk. You should be caught up on the classics by spring…" Kenko said casually, taking a drag from his pipe and staring off into the leafless trees around the temple. Murasaki looked down at the rice-paper and crimson lacquer scroll in her hands.

_"But by then, I will have returned to Konoha..."_ She thought, looking down at the Kanji on the scroll. She knew she had to read it, even if it was of no use to her. Kenko always quizzed her on it afterwards...

She looked up at the cloudy sky, watching the snow fall softly and thinking about the sad colors around her. It reminded her strangely of Kakashi...his eyes always held that same sadness. She looked back down at her scroll with a heavy sigh.

_"Soon enough...I'll be back, you'll see..."_

XxX

Chiriku, the monk who had brought her to the temple, was often very busy due to his outstanding prowess as a shinobi, but no matter what, he always made time and took care of Murasaki and her special circumstances. She found as each month passed, the more attention Chiriku gave her the more it made her feel like blushing and giggling. It was nothing like she had felt with Obito, or Kakashi, but perhaps it was a small crush.

In a way, she felt guilty about the crush because she told herself over and over that she _liked _Kakashi...

_"But it will never happen with Kakashi, so it's useless..."_

_ "But liking Chiriku is just as useless...you're supposed to be a boy..."_

This last thought both made Murasaki laugh out loud and slightly sad at the same time, making the monk next to her give her a stern look. She covered her mouth and blushed, knowing full well she was supposed to be meditating.

XxX

Koharu and Homura sat quietly on the couch in front of Sarutobi, the images of the previous Hokage's staring solemnly down at them as if passing silent judgment on the pair. Even the Fourth's bright face seemed especially stern, as if passing judgment on them from beyond the grave.

"The Village is getting stronger, Sarutobi-sama." Koharu said, leaning back and letting his shoulders relax. Sarutobi sighed, leaning forward.

"That may be true, but there will always be an enemy waiting in the shadows to strike...I think that even inside Konohagakure, there will always be a struggle for the power within. Even now..." Sarutobi said, eyeing his former teammates wearily. Homura squirmed slightly, folding her hands in her lap and narrowing her eyes.

"That is true..." Koharu said, eyeing his female counterpart.

"I would hate to think if anyone I trust so closely were involved in such a thing." Sarutobi continued, his dark eyes boring into the pair. Koharu nodded.

"It's clear by now you know, Sarutobi-sama, we have been closely following Danzou-san. His intentions are clear, and we have reason to believe he made a grab for power at the end of the Fourth's term. Fujiwara-sama's assassination attempt was a transparent ploy to shake Yondaime and coheres him into stepping down. I am sorry we have not been honest with you, Sarutobi-sama, but we wanted the opportunity to get solid proof. Danzou must be stopped." Koharu said firmly, looking around. Homura looked terribly unhappy, shifting irritably and casting Koharu a dirty look.

"You seem displeased by Koharu-san's revelation." Sarutobi said, folding his hands.

"I am concerned by this. Other than the war, things were fine until she came here." Homura said with a sigh, making no attempt to hide her displeasure.

"Are you saying that Murasaki-sama inadvertently, or deliberately, caused these problems, Homura? She's just a little kid, and not even a gennin!" Koharu said, his voice rising in pitch. Homura choked slightly, looking at her former teammate as if he were insane.

"You know just as well as I that she was formerly a shrine maiden. Perhaps we invoked the wrath of the kami by removing her from the shrine...the priest warned us that she had some kind of spiritual energy..."

Sarutobi let a soft laugh escape his lips. "That is true, we have had some sort of ill luck on a personal level, but the priest alerted the kami to her departure, and most kami aren't vengeful spirits. In Lady Murasaki's defense, the very day she came here, Konoha not only gained a victory over Iwa, but also was able to negotiate a peace treaty successfully. Our luck was very good until she was attacked. If you are concerned about kami, I'll have you know we had better fortune when she was here. I would recommend, Homura-chan, that you not be so superstitious in the future."

Homura looked less than pleased at Sarutobi's words, but said nothing, simply pressing her lips defiantly together. "If she is permitted to return, she will only become a target..."

"It's been nearly six months since Murasaki-san was forced to leave. I think it's about time we considered bringing her back. I'm sure she's in no danger any longer. Danzou knows better than to move against me, and Jiraiya misses her, understandably." Sarutobi said with a sigh.

Homura's cheeks hollowed a little and she inhaled. "You just want to meet her, don't you, Sarutobi-sama? I don't think you should involve personal feelings in this...the Village will be torn apart and Murasaki-sama will be killed."

Koharu ignored Homura. "When Murasaki-sama returns, she will return stronger, you know that, right? I have a feeling she'll be on the same level as any chunnin in the village...perhaps a swift promotion would be in order, and it would cause less hard feelings on the child's part..."

"No...I want to make sure she hasn't just been cloistered inside the temple. She is certainly not an academy student anymore, that is a given..." Sarutobi said firmly.

Their conversation was cut short, however, by the door bursting open to reveal Yokozuna-sensei and a pale, dark haired Uchiha in a police uniform holding a young, dark haired boy by the arms.

"You can't do this to me! I'm the son of the Hokage!" The boy snapped, his voice changing pitches as he struggled to free himself. Sarutobi let out a frustrated sigh.

"Asuma...What have you done now?"

"He stole a pack of cigarettes and was smoking them in the academy bathroom." Yokozuna-sensei said, shaking Asuma's arm slightly. Sarutobi sighed, shaking his head.

"Please excuse us, Homura, Koharu, I must take care of this..."

"I understand..." Homura said bitterly, standing up quickly. Koharu sighed and followed her out. Once the door was shut, Koharu turned to Homura, who glared defiantly back.

"I don't know what you're thinking, Homura...bringing Murasaki back will give us an unprecedented opportunity to expose Danzou..." Koharu said, crossing his arms.

"Like you said, she's just a little girl..." Homura said, brushing past him. "She's harmless and it would be useless to further torture her. We'll find another way..."

Koharu stopped her, grabbing her arm.

"Listen, if you do anything to mess up the plan..."

"Shut your mouth, you know full well what will come of your stupid plan. Too many people have suffered for this already. We should just let it go. " She snapped, wrenching her arm away from her male counterpart and walking away.

"I would suggest you don't fill your mind with Danzou's pillow-talk..." Koharu snapped as Homura stormed off, the only sound in the empty hallway the sound of a slamming door.

XxX

Murasaki sat quietly in the temple sanctuary, rubbing one of the great stone Buddha's with a soapy rag. She was being punished for pushing a monk her age through a rice-paper panel. Most of the monks found it amusing, because the boy had been rather mouthy and impudent, but Master Kenko deemed the incident shameful.

In all honesty, Murasaki hadn't known what had gotten into her, it was just a sudden impulse, and it amused her. One would assume that time spent at a temple full of Buddhist priests would have taught her to be calm and focused, but with Kenko as a sensei, focus and calm were contextual.

The door to the temple opened and Murasaki looked up, soapy rag clutched in a slender, callused hand. Chiriku came in, his face and chest glistening with beads of sweat. Murasaki suppressed a grin and continued to rub the Buddha, her cheeks glowing crimson.

"Nozomu, I need a word with you..." He said, signaling to her. Though he was only three or four years older than her, he seemed to be years ahead of her. Another boy that was with him caught her eye and she frowned. He looked so familiar...

Murasaki set the rag aside and wiped her soapy hands on her robes and came cautiously towards them, the other boy silhouetted strangely in the doorway. A familiar tobacco smell clung to the air around the boy and Murasaki peered closer at him.

"Close the door Asuma." Chiriku commanded, turning to Murasaki. "This person here is Sarutobi Asuma. He is the son of the third Hokage...He's going to be training here for a while."

Murasaki and the boy bowed to one another.

"Please regard me with favor." They muttered simultaneously.

"Sarutobi Asuma, this is Nozomu-dono. He will assist you in training until I return. If you have a question, please direct it to Nozomu-dono." Chiriku said with a bow, turning and leaving as Asuma came closer, the smell of tobacco smoke growing stronger. Murasaki's stomach twisted into knots, not only because of the smell, but it reminded her a little of her father. Chiriku shut the massive doors behind him and the temple fell silent. She could feel Asuma's eyes on her and she blinked, looking away.

"Chiriku-san said you and I were of the same cloth. Are you here because you're in trouble, too?"

Murasaki shook her head. "No...My father was killed in the war. Why are you in trouble, if you don't mind my asking?"

Asuma scoffed, digging his sandaled foot in the stone floor.

"This academy kid and I were smoking cigs in the bathroom...dad didn't like it, he was afraind it would 'tarnish his image'…so, ah, what am I supposed to do, senpai?" He asked, seemingly eager to change the subject.

Murasaki blinked, shaking her head. What on earth was Chiriku thinking leaving her in charge of Asuma? She didn't know anything…

She wracked her brain for an answer, the boy's eyes boring through her.

"Are we going to stand here all day? Aren't we supposed to be training?"

Murasaki let out a sigh of exasperation, pointing at the largest of the three Buddha's in the hall.

"Go...meditate..."


	8. The Unexpected Visit

A/N: I got a new computer! Updates will come faster now that I can type freely!

Until later, duckies!

* * *

藤原のムラサキです。

Asuma had been at the temple for less than a month, and Chiriku felt it safe to divulge the fact that Murasaki was a Konoha shinobi to Asuma, but nothing else. Asuma was reluctant to help at first, but after a small amount of blackmail from Chiriku, Asuma consented. The training was relatively simple, though Asuma was a chunnin and knew much more than Murasaki could possibly fathom. Asuma was amused to discover they had the same chakra type, though after he found out, he was a little harder on her.

Asuma was an ill-tempered punk; though Murasaki suspected that his ill-temper was partially credited to coming down off of his cigarette addiction. Other than that, Asuma was a good kid. He confessed to her that he didn't get along well with his father, and his rebellious behavior became much more justifiable in Murasaki's eyes.

After a while, Murasaki felt a little as if she were falling between the cracks, because Chiriku seemed to have forgotten her to a degree, and his friendship with Asuma seemed to grow stronger with every passing day. She began to secretly resent Asuma, but never let it openly effect their interaction.

Another month passed, and Murasaki was felling oddly overwhelmed. Not only was the one year anniversary of Obito's death nearing, but summer was approaching just as quickly, and still no word from Konoha. This put Murasaki in an ill mood, which made her pour all her energy into beating Asuma at sparring.

On one particularly bad day, Murasaki was sitting quietly in main Temple, the candles casting a shaking light on the Buddha as tears were blurring her vision as she pouted.

Sans Asuma's help, Murasaki could feel a familiar chakra drawing near.  
"Asuma-san." She said softly, wiping her eyes stubbornly as the teen knelt beside her.

He only made a grunt of acknowledgement, folding his hands as he closed his eyes. She could tell he was feeling bitter about his defeat from sparring earlier in the morning.  
"There's someone here to see you..." He muttered. Murasaki knit her brows, reaching out with her chakra and feeling another presence. She turned her head with a frown, seeing the shape of a female filling the door.

Murasaki stood up, keeping her back to the woman and keeping an eye on her with chakra.

"What brings you here, Homura-san?" Murasaki asked, her voice echoing eerily in the nearly empty hall.

"I see you haven't forgotten." The older woman sighed, stepping towards her. Murasaki turned and bowed politely, searching for more chakra impressions around her. Other than Asuma and the monks outside, it would appear that they were alone. "Let me look at you again."

Slowly, Murasaki came forward, eyeing Homura wearily. The older woman dropped to her knees, tilting Murasaki's head up and exposing her soft throat.

"I see you haven't been too terribly abused." The woman said, letting Murasaki's chin fall and pushing up the sleeves on her robe. "These muscles are unfortunate, however..."

Murasaki looked away, setting her jaw and taking a defensive stance.

"Why are you here?" Murasaki snapped, crossing her arms. She knew she was pushing the envelope by not showing respect to Homura, but as far as she was concerned, Homura was no help to the Village, and was therefore not deserving of her respect.

Homura sighed and stood up, letting her arms fall to her sides. "I'm not going to sugar coat it. I came to tell you that you should never return to the Village. If you do, you will only be used as a tool..."

"A shinobi is a tool." Murasaki snarled, shaking her head and trying not to let angry tears fill her eyes. "That is the sacrifice we must make-!"

"You don't understand, Murasaki!" Homura interrupted, raising her hand as if to strike the girl. "Konoha will be your death!"  
Murasaki didn't flinch, simply staring at Homura. The truth was, Murasaki hadn't heard her name spoken since she'd left the village. Tears filled her eyes and Murasaki bolted from the hall, running out into the bright sunlight. She was going back to Konoha, and Homura wasn't going to stop her.

Murasaki felt tears running down her face as she pushed past Chiriku at the main gate, running out onto the road and stopping for a moment to catch her breath. She heard a sound behind her and saw Chiriku was chasing her, which only made Murasaki want to run faster. She took off down the road towards Konoha, her heart beating wildly as fresh tears blurred her vision.  
Without warning, a black figure leapt onto the road in front of her and Murasaki had no choice but to skid to a halt. She felt another person appear behind her and her blood ran cold; she'd been set up...

Murasaki saw one of the men make some familiar hand seals and moments later a ball of fire erupted from his masked face. Murasaki countered by rolling and making her own hand seals.

"Rat, bird, boar..." She whispered, summoning her chakra. "Horse..." A burst of wind chakra fanned the flames back onto the two shinobi, who disappeared from Murasaki's vision. She felt one of the men reappear behind her and she spun, striking out with an upward thrust. She heard the man yelp as her hand collided with something soft between his legs. Without thinking, she grabbed and twisted, using her other hand to punch him in the stomach. He grunted and Murasaki withdrew her hand, wiping it wearily on her robes as she scrambled up, nearly backing into the arms of the other man.

She felt him grab her arm and twist it around, attempting to throw her on her face, but she spun completely around and kicked him in the chest. Unfortunately, she felt her shoulder pop, and a searing pain ran down her arm. She used the pause in the flurry to run back towards the temple, running straight into Chiriku's chest.

Chiriku spun her around, his hand falling on her shoulder. Murasaki withheld a cry of pain, biting her lip instead.  
"Face your enemy." He said, thrusting a kunai into her hand. "I'll back you up."

Murasaki swallowed her fear, taking the kunai in her good hand and charging forward with surprising speed.  
A sudden calm spread over Murasaki and it felt like she was simply another part of the earth, like a leaf bourn on the wind. Seconds passed, which felt like hours, and the world seemed to be standing silently, watching in quiet awe. She felt a warm, dampness on her face and suddenly she was back in the conscious world. The forest was silent, and she was crying. Her hand was warm and wet, and as things went back into focus, she could see her attackers lying dead on the ground. Murasaki dropped the kunai and fell to her knees, staring at her bloody hands.

She heard Chiriku come towards her, his sandaled feet making a soft sound on the gravel.  
"Murasaki-san…that…what was that?"

Murasaki shook her head. "I don't know…I…was just…I don't remember…" She stammered, the blood cooling on her hands. If this wasn't a bad sign, she didn't know what was….perhaps Homura was right, Konoha would be the death of her…

"Come on, we'll get you cleaned up…speak of this to no one." He said softly, putting his hands on her shoulders. The stinging pain was back and Murasaki let out a yelp, knocking his hand away.

"Are you injured?" He asked, feeling her shoulder. "It's just dislocated…here, put this in your mouth." He said. Without further warning Chiriku yanked her shoulder back into place. Muraskai tried to scream, but found Chiriku's hand covering her mouth.

"We'll bind it here…back at the temple, you won't get any privacy. No one must know. I'll do what I can to let you heal and not raise questions..." He said, pulling on the folds of her robes until they came away from her shoulders. Murasaki crossed her good arm over her chest while Chiriku bandaged her shoulder quickly. "I don't know what village these shinobi are from, but for the sake of peace we'll pretend it never happened. From what I understand, politics have been pretty shaky after the war…" He finished, helping her re-tie her robe before standing up and looking around suspiciously. He told Murasaki to sit still before dragging the bodies into the nearby bushes.

"Pardon my noticing, Murasaki, but you may want to bind your chest from now on…" Chiriku said, coming back handing her the roll of cloth he had used to bandage her shoulder, then wiping his dusty hands off on his robe. "You're not a little girl anymore."  
Murasaki blushed, staring hopelessly at the wide bandages in her hand.  
XxX

Murasaki and Chiriku walked slowly and silently back to the temple, the rush of blood Murasaki received now wearing off.  
Halfway back to the Temple, they met Kenko and Asuma, who both looked rather surprised to see Murasaki covered in blood.

"What happened? Are you injured?" Kenko asked, tilting her head up and looking at her face.  
"He's fine, just a little shaken up. He was attacked on the road by bandits, but he took care of them without much difficulty."  
Kenko nodded, patting Murasaki on the bad shoulder. Murasaki winced but said nothing.  
"Very good...get cleaned up and meet us here. We have been summoned before the Daimyo."  
Chiriku's eyes widened and he bowed enthusiastically.  
"Thank you, Master Kenko." He said happily before running off towards the temple, pulling Murasaki with him. "Hurry, Nozomu-dono!"

XxX

Murasaki had no idea how far it was to the civilian capitol of the Land of Fire, or why they were even going there. Honestly, Murasaki had never anticipated going to see the Daimyo, and everything Master Kenko had told her hand gone in one ear and out the other.

After the first night of travel, Murasaki was feeling as if they would never reach the capitol in their lifetime, which may have been a secret favor from the spirits. However fortunate this may have been, Murasaki was left wondering why they had to leave so suddenly, and if it had anything to do with Homura's little visit to the Temple. This only made Murasaki angry, and reluctant, though after getting yelled at by Kenko, she quickened her pace.

The three men were possibly the worst travel company Murasaki had had thus far, though; her travel experience was limited to the area surrounding Konohagakure, the Shrine at which she had grown up, and the Fire Temple. Halfway through the second day, Master Kenko had taken to reminiscing about his life in the Daimyo's court.

After three days on the road, they stopped for the night at a teahouse, where a geisha poured them tea and entertained Kenko while her apprentice tended to the three 'boys'. Murasaki couldn't help but be in awe of these two women. They were graceful, every feature perfectly painted, every movement perfectly graceful. The two young women were wrapped up in silk, painted and embroidered with the same perfection reflected in their behavior. Kenko, as usual, was objectifying them, and many years later, Murasaki found that she, too, had immediately objectified them, though in a different way.

"_If I had some of that white paint they wear on their faces...No one in the village would recognize me..._" Murasaki thought, watching the apprentice maiko sit down behind her 'older sister'. "_But it would look...stupid on me...I look nothing like they do...I'm not beautiful like they are...they have such fine features, like dolls..._"

The maiko caught Murasaki staring at her and smiled. Murasaki blushed and looked away, which gave the maiko the wrong idea.  
Halfway through dinner, Asuma left for 'a walk', leaving Murasaki and Chiriku to sit and listen to Kenko and the geisha chat back and forth. The maiko sat down next to Murasaki with a smile, exposing her slender wrist as she poured Murasaki some tea. Murasaki looked away, glancing at her own wrist, which seemed so thick and bulky in comparison. At the Temple, she had seemed delicately built in comparison, but that was in comparison to men...

"Are you well?" The maiko asked softly, peering at Murasaki with a soft smile. "You look ill."  
Murasaki stood up, shaking her head.

"Forgive me, I...am very tired." She said with a bow, heading straight for the door. The geisha laughed at her 'little sister'.

"Don't pursue every pretty young boy you meet so strongly, Matsuyama."  
The maiko blushed and Murasaki slid the door shut behind her, feeling a little grossed out.

"He's just a little shy." She heard Kenko laugh.  
Murasaki walked down the hallway, sliding her tatami sandals on as she left. She walked out into the moonlight night, looking up at the sky and she walked down the street.

_"I will return to Konoha, it's my home...I don't care if I'm in danger..."_  
Murasaki heard a noise and looked up to see Asuma coming towards her, a red glow lighting up the lower half of his face. Murasaki stopped, looking around for a place to duck into, but found none.

"Tell Chiriku and I'll tell Kenko."  
Murasaki suppressed a shiver from the threat, disguising it as straightening her back. She wasn't going to let Asuma intimidate her…

"Tell Master Kenko what?"  
Asuma laughed.  
"Homura-san called you Murasaki. Murasaki is a chick's name. You're Kenko's prized student...if he found out you were a chick he'd flip."  
Murasaki bit her lip, crossing her arms and looking down.

"I don't know how much you know about my father...but...my life depends on you not telling anyone. It's not something to take lightly...people are trying to kill me, and I'm just an academy student...that's why I was sent to the temple."

Asuma raised his eyebrows and let out a low whistle. "Must have pissed someone off..."  
Murasaki nodded. "Yes, please don't tell anyone, I beg of you!"

Asuma shrugged.  
"You keep your trap shut, I'll keep mine."

XxX

Over the following few days, Murasaki and Asuma seemed to have grown in friendship. Murasaki found herself so preoccupied with the fear that Asuma would expose her, she had abandoned her resentment, and the same went for Asuma. The two fell to the back of the little group and walked in silence. After the third day, Asuma finally asked a question he had been obviously dying to ask.

"Hey..." He said, slowing down and dropping his voice low. "So, you're like, eleven or twelve right?"  
Murasaki didn't answer, not because she intended to be rude, but because she didn't know the exact answer herself. She knew she was over ten, but the exact date of her birth had never been revealed to her, though it had been hinted strongly that it was in early autumn.

"I guess." She said finally. This earned a soft chuckle from Asuma, who stroked the budding stubble on his chin. The stubble made him look scruffy, but Asuma was so proud of it, no one said a word.

"So, you would have been in the academy with this girl, Yuuhi Kurenai, right?"  
Murasaki thought for a moment. Kurenai had been a painfully shy girl, though very intelligent. She was pretty, but because of her shyness, she was often overlooked by the boys, who were usually distracted by Megumi's flamboyance...  
Kurenai was so quiet; she even escaped Megumi's ever-vigil radar.  
Murasaki had been too afraid to talk to Kurenai in depth, but their short, polite exchanges were always very pleasant and never had any hidden intentions.

"Yes, why? Do you like her?"

"She's too young for me." Asuma said firmly, digging his hands into his pockets. "But what's she like, anyway? Is she one of these deceptive women Master Kenko's always complaining about?"

Murasaki shook her head. "No, she was really nice...really shy, but really nice..."  
Asuma nodded, a smile crossing his features. "Good."

"You do like her, don't you?" Murasaki asked with a teasing grin.  
Asuma nodded. "Yeah, but don't tell anyone..."

Their conversation ended there, but they continued to walk side by side for a distance.

XxX

The four of them came over the top of a ridge and Murasaki let out an exclamation that made Master Kenko, Asuma, and Chiriku all laugh.  
"Now now, none of that…" Kenko said heartily as the four travelers looked over The Land of Fire's civilian capitol city. "Like I said, I won't have my apprentice confused for a simply country monk…"

"Let's get down there by nightfall." Chiriku said, starting eagerly down the road towards the main gates. Murasaki noted that he seemed unusually eager to get to the Daimyo's court, and glanced over at Asuma, who's eyes reflected that same enthusiasm.  
They followed Chiriku down the road, but at the last minute, Murasaki paused to sneeze, looking back down the road from which they had come.  
A chill ran down her spine and she felt as if she were being watched by some predator. Murasaki shivered and turned to follow her comrades.


	9. Men of Shadow

A/N: hot-cha! It's an update! Bla bla bla the end of _Gaiden_ is getting pretty close bla bla bla. Bla bla Ramen War bla bla bla.I need reviews!

*Ahem* In this chapter we have:

Nagiganata: A sword-like spear that is carried by women of the samurai class.

Nagabakama: Hakama-like women's undergarment worn beneath layers of kimono. Women stopped wearing them in the Edo period (which is what modern kimono are based on). In many photographs, the Empress is often seen wearing them.

Noh-face: haven't you seen _Spirited Away_?

I also reference a death poem from the Onnin Rebellion in 1477 about carrion birds...ew...

Bla bla bla.

* * *

藤原のムラサキです。

The darkness of night descended on the Fire Temple, casting the ancient buildings in deep shadow.

The soft sounds of the monks chanting made the early summer evening seem almost surreal as a few monks moved in and out of the buildings.

The location of Kenko and Murasaki, as well as Asuma and Chiriku, was a mystery that didn't seem to faze any of the monks there at the temple. In fact, it would seem that life carried on as if they had never existed at all.

The stars in the clear skies overhead became steadily more visible, each soft pinprick of light becoming more and more visible as the sun sunk lower over the hills. The monastic chanting became softer and lower just as steadily, eventually dropping to a low murmur until but a few monks remained in the main temple shrine.

A young monk sat quietly before the large stone Buddha, his prayer beads wrapped around his hands. He didn't hear the door open behind him and the footsteps come towards him: only the sound of his own voice chanting the six-syllable prayer.  
In a single moment, the temple was engulfed in flames.

The smell of smoke filled the air as a lone figure slipped out moments before the doorframe collapsed, sealing the young monks fate.  
A lone ANBU paused on the retaining wall around the temple, mismatched eyes shining with sadness beneath his dog mask, before the teen slipped silently back into the village, his actions going unnoticed by his comrades.

The ANBU let out a deep breath as he slipped silently back into his darkened apartment, hoping the young girl who's death he'd just faked would take the hint.

There was an almost timid knock on the door and the teen stiffened visibly, every muscle in his body contracting. He let out a breath, crossing the small, sparse living room and opening the door a crack to see one of his masked comrades standing stiffly on the small porch.  
Doleful black eyes blinked from behind a cat-shaped mask and the dog-masked ANBU let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Captain." The man in the cat mask whispered, pushing past his superior. "I am glad to see that you are ready for duty tonight, but the hokage wants to keep us inside the village..."

The captain nodded, closing the door behind his teammate and removing his dog mask.  
"Why, Tenzou-san?"

The young an in the cat mask looked around, before sitting down casually and pulling his own mask off.

"There was an arson at the Fire Temple tonight...a guess a young monk was killed in the blaze. Rumor has it it was Jiraiya-sama's daughter, who was undercover there...a hawk just came with the news...looks like Danzou finally duped the Hokage."

Kakashi held back a sigh against the fabric of his mask. He knew his actions had been wrong: killing an innocent monk would lead to bad karma, but a shinobi didn't need to worry about karma…right?

Tenzou eyed him wearily. "I thought you'd be more upset by the news, senpai…? By the way you talked about her, she was your last friend."

Kakashi shook his head, knitting his eyebrows to complete the ruse.  
"Being my friend _is_ a death sentence…"

XxX

The capital city was the largest settlement Murasaki had ever been to to date. It was laid out using the classical grid system; the shopping and 'entertainment' districts on the outermost edges of town, just inside the retaining wall. It was set up according to rank, unlike Konoha, which was laid out like the spokes of a wheel.

In the Capital, however, those from high-ranking families were closer to the daimyo's small but grand-looking castle, and those from lower ranking families, merchant families, and other entertainers were farther from the castle.

The city was unlike anything Murasaki had ever seen, or anything she could have ever imagined. Not only were the houses set up in perfect rows, unchanged regardless of landscape, but the people were so varying, she could hardly believe it.

Everywhere Murasaki looked there was a monk in simple robes, a samurai with a _nagiganata_ or two swords, a courtesan in richly colored dress, or a merchant in a fine silk kimono.

There was even a rugged, scarred man sitting propped against the doorframe of a run-down looking building. He was clothed in a long, threadbare black robe emblazoned with crimson clouds, and his head was covered with what looked like white hood. People walking past skirted around him, and Murasaki couldn't begin to fathom why. He looked like any other shinobi, though his cloak seemed familiar for some reason…

Asuma walked a little closer to Murasaki, and leaning down, he dropped his voice into a whisper.

"You are lucky enough to have been sheltered from the outside world, and do not know how the world views shinobi…in the eyes of the waking world, we are shadows of death in the night, like dirty vermin…" He whispered, hurrying her along. "It's best for you not to be seen mingling…"

The man's eyes fell on Asuma as they passed, and the man smirked at them. Chiriku made a particular effort to walk in such a way that the man had a difficult time looking closely at Asuma and Murasaki.

At first, Murasaki didn't understand Asuma's words and their special connection with the man, but Chiriku fell into step beside her and took her aside once out of the man's earshot.

"Nozomu-dono." Chiriku muttered, putting his hand on her back to push her along. "I know they must have covered this at the academy, but shinobi sometimes go astray from villages and set out with their own agenda. These people become and their names and faces are put into Bingo Books. These people are disgraceful, dishonoring their village and their family names. They are less than scum…That man back there was a missing nin from the Waterfall village…his headband was slashed…"

Murasaki nodded, glancing up at Chiriku, who stared straight ahead, his face as pale as death. She could tell that the man had made him nervous.

The small group cut along the back streets, eventually arriving at a small but beautiful castle set on an impossibly tall foundation. The wide steps up to the door were guarded by armed men, and Master Kenko had to show them a scroll in order to be allowed past.  
The inside of the castle was even more daunting than the outside, and what more, two young women in deep blue _nagabakama_ pants and white kimono led Chiriku and Asuma away down a long hallway.

Murasaki looked up at Kenko for some kind of explanation, only to find a self-satisfied expression on the monk's face.  
For a brief moment, Murasaki feared that Kenko would now announce that it was time to return to the temple, but fortunately, he didn't.  
Instead they were led away by a woman wearing what looked to Murasaki like hundreds of kimono in varying colors, though in reality there couldn't have been more than five layers of silk.

"Ieyasu-sama is honored by your prescience." The woman said with a deep bow and a plastic smile, her long black hair trailing on the floor behind her. Murasaki felt Kenko stiffen, but he bowed back courteously.

"We are honored by his humble invitation." Kenko said, his voice sounding much more sincere than his face looked. The woman bowed again, and they finished exchanging pleasantries before they were lead down the hallway opposite to the one that Asuma and Chiriku had disappeared down.

Murasaki was careful to remember her place, walking three paces behind Kenko with her hands folded and her head down.  
"Nozomu-san, keep up." Kenko whispered, motioning Murasaki to his side. "You're behaving like a woman!"  
Murasaki blinked in shock, but obeyed, trotting to catch up. The woman turned with another smile, though Murasaki caught a tinge of hardness at the edge of that smile.

"Take this, keep it hidden, and only use it if you find yourself in danger…" Kenko whispered, shoving a strangely shaped kunai into her hand. Murasaki didn't acknowledge that she heard him, but she took the kunai anyway.

The two were led into a modestly sized room, separated into two sections by folding screen. The first section was relatively small, with a wide, flat futon draped in thick brocade. A small oil lamp burned by the head of the bed, reflecting off of the dark wood that framed the screens.

"I hope your apprentice finds these quarters suitable." The woman said with the same fake smile, gesturing to the bed. Murasaki tried to appear bored, though it was by far the richest room she'd ever been in, though the castle didn't have electric lights like Konoha.  
"Thank you." Murasaki said with a polite bow, keeping her tone cool and distant.

The woman's smile faulted, as if it had been a contest to see who could appear more disinterested, and the woman had lost. The woman bowed back, though her eyes never left Murasaki's face. Kenko seemed uncomfortable with the situation, though he said and did nothing. The woman led Master Kenko away, leaving Murasaki alone in the room with it's gleaming panels and deep shadows.  
Murasaki stood still, listening as Kenko and the woman walked away.

_"Kenko-sensei wants me to be on my guard for some reason...And that woman...I wonder what is going on..." _Murasaki wondered, looking around the room. Murasaki's shinobi instincts set in and she walked the small perimeter of the room, memorizing every little detail before sitting down on the bed. The inside of the castle was vast and dark, and the placement of the screens around her bed made her uncomfortable. She felt as if she were exposed, and possibly being watched.

Murasaki lay back on the thick brocade bedspread, closing her eyes, laying stock-still and listening. In the paneled room beside her, she could hear Master Kenko and the woman talking quietly. From their tones, it sounded as if they knew each other quite well, and were possibly friends, though Murasaki couldn't imagine Master Kenko with a woman for a friend.  
_"Perhaps they are associates..."_ Murasaki thought, opening her eyes. They were talking too quietly for Murasaki to hear, though a familiar word would occasionally drift into her hearing range.

Murasaki let out a sigh and sat up, her torso feeling rather confined by the bandages she wore around her chest. Silently, she pulled her robes from around her shoulders and re-wrapped her chest, just as the oil lamp began to flicker almost violently. Murasaki froze, her fingers clasped around the soft gauze on her chest. He castle didn't seem like the kind of place that would be drafty, though more traditional architecture such as this seemed like it should have been. The shrine had been terribly drafty, and the Temple was but a little better.

Murasaki hurriedly finished, tying the robe back over her shoulders and standing up. There was a soft whooshing sound and Murasaki's blood ran cold. She crossed the room and peered behind the dividing screen, only to find a nearly invisible sliding door. Muraskai pulled a sutra out of the front of her robes, placing it on the door and activating it. It was much like the seals used against demonic spirits she had used at the shrine, but it was activated by her chakra, and Murasaki had devised a way to combine the spiritual power of the seals with the protective, alerting, and sometimes explosive power of the sutras.

"Nozomu." Murasaki heard Kenko's voice call sharply. "Nozomu."

Murasaki turned to see Kenko move a folding screen out of the way and she quickened her work, turning away.  
"My apologies, sensei...I felt it necessary to investigate the room thoroughly..."

"Very astute…" Kenko said, giving one of the screens a final tug as it folded against itself. "We cannot be too careful. I have just received word that one of my old rivals is here at court…luckily we slipped in unnoticed, but it shall make things difficult."  
Murasaki nodded, biting her lip. She had heard of rivalries between poets going badly, some even ending in death by suicide or assassination…

In Kenko's case, it merely caused him to 'retire' from court life, but Murasaki feared things wouldn't go so well this time. Murasaki stared down at the floor, her stomach twisting into knots as Kenko continued on with his warnings about his old rival. That same old, bad feeling was worming its way into her stomach.

XxX

_Murasaki stood in the fading golden light of the summer sunset, Obito standing directly in front of her. He knit his eyebrows, fighting with his hands and biting his lip. The world around them blurred softly, the long grasses swaying in the dreamlike breeze._

_ "What's wrong?" Murasaki asked, taking a small step forward in attempt to coerce her friend into admitting his predicament.  
Obito was silent for a long time, his dark eyes shining with unshed tears. Suddenly, he broke into sobs, throwing his arms around her neck. Seven-year-old Murasaki flushed crimson, but hugged her friend back, offering what small comfort she could. _

_ "Kakashi keeps calling me 'dead last' and the 'Loser Uchiha'. Sensei says not to let it bother me...but it does..." Obito sobbed, wiping his nose on his sleeve as he pulled away. _  
_"Don't believe him." Murasaki said matter of factly, placing her hands on her hips. _

_ "But...I'm ten...and...I still don't have my Sharingan..." Obito sobbed. "I...I am dead last!" He cried, sinking onto the grass behind the shrine and wailing shamelessly. Murasaki looked around in despair, fearing Noriko would hear them. She knelt down before Obito, shushing him gently and holding out her arms shamelessly. He leaned into them, his sobs subsiding as she rubbed his back comfortingly. _

_ "I think you are a splendid shinobi." Murasaki said softly. "I wish I were a shinobi." _

_Obito started to laugh, which in a current state, resembled a choking sound. "Girls can't be shinobi! Girls are called 'kunoichi'." He said, wiping his tears on his already sodden sleeve. _

_ Murasaki sat down in silence, hiding her embarrassment badly. Obito seemed to sense this and smiled. Obito had always been a sensitive boy, but occasionally he would accidentally say something that led to awkward situations.  
"But don't be embarrassed by that. How were you to know?" He said in a forced cheerful tone. "Anyway, I think you could be a good kunoichi." He said, standing up and offering her his hand as he forced his own tears back. "I'll teach you a little bit...and maybe it'll help me a little." He said brightly. Murasaki flushed crimson, taking his hand and standing up. The sun lowered in the sky, casting the shrine in a deep, gold light that made it seem as if the world was aflame._

_ "Murasaki..." He said quietly, his voice seeming to grow distant. _

_Murasaki wanted to respond, but found her voice lost in her throat. _

_ "Murasaki!" Obito called again, reaching out towards her, his voice growing desperate as he seemed to be pulled away from her._

Murasaki opened her eyes, sitting up. The memory had been so vivid...it made her believe that Obito was alive again...it made tears come to her eyes and her heart ache…  
As her eyes came into focus, she realized she was not alone in the room: Chiriku was kneeling over the top of her. His dark eyes seemed troubled as he sat back on his heels.

"I was beginning to think you would never wake." He said plainly.

"What time is it now?" Murasaki asked foggily, wiping her eyes.

"It's four in the morning."

"Why did you wake me up? Is it time for prayers?" Murasaki asked dumbly, still in a fog as she fumbled around her for her prayer beads.

Chiriku shook his head. "No, Murasaki, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

All signs of sleep vanished and Murasaki sat up straight. A million different possibilities ran through her mind.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Part of the Temple was burned down about a week ago, the night after we left, killing a young monk your age. Judging by the evidence, it was another attempt on you." Chiriku said, keeping his voice low and looking around. "Murasaki, I don't know if you are safe here anymore...can you think of anyone who would know about you at the temple, who might also know you are here?"

Murasaki frowned. "Homura found me at the temple..."

Chiriku shook his head. "It can't be her. She's the one who helped arrange your arrival in the first place. Is there no one else?"

Murasaki blinked, feeling as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on her head. It took her a full minute to process the information.

_Homura..?_

"Anyone else?" Chiriku repeated urgently.

"There's my father...and...Asuma-kun figured it out." Murasaki said thoughtfully, chewing her lip. She had to get back to Konoha as soon as possible...

"How did Asuma find out...?"

"Homura addressed me as Murasaki...he doesn't know who I am, but he knows I'm a girl..."

Chiriku frowned, rubbing his chin and standing up.

"Murasaki, I don't want you to leave this room until I come back...even if Kenko tells you so."

Murasaki nodded and Chiriku left. She waited until he was completely out of the room and down the hall before she got up and hurriedly threw her robes on. She didn't care what happened...she had to get to the bottom of this, even if it meant that she had to confront Danzou himself. She didn't care if she was killed, if it meant stopping him…

Silently, Murasaki crept out into the main hall, sensing guards outside the doors that they had come in through no more than a week before.

_"Of course they'd be here at night, you moron! The castle is in more danger at night than during the day…"_ She thought furiously, looking around.

Murasaki doubled back silently, but froze upon hearing voices coming towards her. Panicking, Murasaki used her chakra to scale the wall and cling to the rafters above as three shinobi guardsmen passed below, unaware of the kunoichi hovering tediously above them.  
She held her breath, not even daring to blink until they were long gone, before resuming her search of another way out.

Murasaki's search led her into a darkened garden, the plants looking dark and imposing in the moonlit shadows. She knew it was her only chance at escape, but out here, Murasaki felt as if she were exposed to the same predator that had stalked her just outside the capital.

_ "A kunochi knows no fear."_ Murasaki thought furiously, recalling her brief time at the academy as she crossed the deathly silent garden. A slight breeze made the plants shift, warping the shadows into demons. Murasaki froze for a moment, turning. She could have sworn she saw something else in the shadows...crouching like some horrible creature of death...

A shroud of cloud passed over the moon, and a blood-curdling shadow crossed Murasaki's path. Frozen in fear, Murasaki looked up and wanted to scream, but the only thing that came to mind was a death-poem about a two-headed carrion bird.  
But what crouched there on the roof was far worse than a two-headed bird; it was as if something had crawled straight out of legend and was there, waiting for her, feeding off her intense fear.

The porcelain-pale face of a cracked No mask stared back at her, inching ever-closer to her, a deep black shroud of shadows surrounding it like a mist, constantly moving as if the entire thing was a mass of shadowy limbs. Murasaki began to tremble, her skin beginning to prickle as the wheezing face drew nearer and nearer.

Without thinking, she drew out the kunai that Kenko had given her, the cold steel seemingly melding into her flesh. The rest seemed to occur as a series of blurs and the feeling of something hot and sticky on her hands.

XxX


	10. Kaerimasu

A/N:I'm on a boat. I got mah swim trunks an mah flippie-floppies...

Please. Please shoot me.

So...this is like, the last chapter of '_Gaiden'_. I'm not writing much during the semester, but when i get free time and a good idea, than I'll write and update my other stories XDDD.

The next installment is a separate story , called 'Eiga Monogatari'.

Bear with me!!!!!!!!

* * *

藤原のムラサキです。

XxX

"Nine men dead..." Murasaki heard a man's voice say heartily as a cold compress was applied to her brow. "Impressive...impressive...she's just a gennin, they say."

"Not even that." Chiriku's voice chimed in, fringed with worry. "She was put into protection after someone attempted to kill her...her cover has been blown tonight...this is the fourth attempt she's had on her life."  
Murasaki frowned inwardly. So the thing in the garden...it had been human...it hadn't felt like a human…it had felt so hollow…but then again, so had she in that situation…  
Murasaki felt the vibrations of footsteps on the floor, and felt one of the men cover her up to the neck as a door slid open.

"Where is he?"  
Murasaki recognized the sound of Kenko's voice and opened her eyes to see her sensei standing over the top of her. His arms crossed.  
"Master!" Murasaki cried, sitting up, only to be pushed back by Chiriku.

"You're injured." He said sternly, indicating her hands, which were bandaged to the elbows.

"I never thought Yugaou would stoop to such levels." Kenko seethed, kneeling beside Murasaki. "an attack that damages a poets hands…"

"Yugaou is not the one who put this attack into motion." Chiriku hissed, clenching his fist, the cold compress dripping lukewarm water down his arm. "I'm going to be straight with you, Master; Nozomu-san is the child of a high ranking shinobi! This was an assassination attempt, and not the first."

Kenko tilted his head back, narrowing his eyes. "I know my own apprentice!"

Chiriku shook his head, clearly getting angry as he threw the cold compress on the floor.

"No, you don't!"

Murasaki pressed her lips shut, looking away from the sight of the two men arguing.

_ "They say I've been killing people…but why can't I remember any of it?"_ she thought, making a mental note to ask Chiriku later. It scared her, and made her want to return to Konoha even more.

_"Maybe I'll kill Danzou and won't remember it…"_

_ "That's terrible!"_ She thought back, furrowing her brows.

_"But…he killed…"_

_ "You can't prove that! Even so, just because someone killed doesn't mean they should die, does it? If that were so, then dad…Kakashi, even myself would deserve death…"_  
Murasaki felt tears welling up in her eyes and she struggled to wipe them away with her bandaged hands, which were beginning to prickle and throb dully.

"Lets let her rest…I need to have a few words with Nozomu…" Chiriku said, pushing everyone out the door before turning back and sitting by her side with a sigh.

"Murasaki…" Chiriku began evenly, folding his hands patiently. In the dim light of the oil lamps, he looked much older than sixteen.

"I'm…sorry…" Murasaki choked, wiping her eyes on her bandaged hands.

"I won't yell at you. It would be pointless. You know what you did wrong." He said evenly. Murasaki could tell he was unfathomably angry by his calm tone, which was possibly worse than yelling. The room was silent for a long time, and Murasaki began to wonder if this was all Kenko had to say. Taking a deep breath, Murasaki asked the question that was troubling her the most at the moment.

"Why can't I remember killing these people…? I always black out…"  
Chiriku was silent yet again, seemingly contemplating the question.

"I don't know for certain. Some people are saying that when something traumatic happens to someone, they don't remember it… but I can't say for sure if that is the case with you. I've seen you kill. You are clearly not yourself when you do it, but I cannot give you a solid answer either way. It's like nothing I've ever seen before, though…"

Murasaki blinked up at the dark ceiling, biting her lip and thinking.

"Who attacked me?" she asked finally. Chiriku was silent again, the shadows flickering across his face.

"The assassins were from the Mist Village. We have all been ordered to keep silent about it. We finally got out of what they are calling 'The Great Shinobi War', and Kumogakure just pulled an incident with the Hyuuga clan in Konoha. Now, more than ever, we have to be careful not to cause international incidents that could spark conflict…as far as the rest of the castle is concerned, you are sick and have been quarantined."

Murasaki frowned and nodded. "I understand."  
Chiriku smiled slightly, replacing the cold compress with a fresh cloth.

"Chiriku?"

"What?"

"I'm not going back to Konoha, am I?"  
Chiriku sighed and sat back.

"No, you're going back…like I said, I can't give you a definite answer, but you will return…I promise."

XxX

Danzou sat back, rubbing his Sharingan eye in frustration. Even assassins from the Mist had failed against her…she certainly was a difficult target…but Hatake's arson on the temple had definitely come in handy when it came to tracking her down…

He glanced over at the children that had been brought in as ROOT's new recruits with a sigh. These kids were going to be his key to becoming Hokage one day, maybe more…

He stood up, leaning heavily on his cane and inspecting the children closely. A pair of fathomless black eyes met his and he thought for a moment.

_"I can't send any more of these second-rate assassins to do my work for me…next time, I'm going myself…"_ He thought furiously, looking sternly at the raven-haired toddler as the boy played by himself. _"But my hands are tied…the Hokage is aware of my movements and has placed spies in my midst…"_

With an eerie smile, he reached out to the raven-haired young boy, offering what looked like a kind hand to the war-orphan.

"Don't be afraid." he said in feigned kindness. Once the boy was within reach, Danzou grabbed him, reaching into his mouth and placing a seal on the screaming toddlers tongue. Without any further consoling, Danzou set the toddler back on the floor with his comrades, where the toddler sat wailing in the middle of the floor. Danzou tilted his head back, another sick smile crossing his features.

_"If I lay low in the eyes of the village…I might have a chance at success…"_ He thought, turning away from the children and leaving the room._ "and I know just the way to deal with that Fujiwara until I can make my move…I just need to get her back here before she says anything damaging…"  
_  
XxX

Murasaki fumbled with her chopsticks as she sat quietly beside Master Kenko in a large room filled with rows of kneeling pillows and low tables facing one another. Long stemmed oil lamps set the mood, the flickering golden lights really setting a feudal-era mood in the room. Murasaki was reminded of the shrine, which seemed primitive compared to Konoha's electric lights.

She didn't dare say a word, though the dark haired girl that was sitting beside the woman named Yugao kept shooting smirks in Murasaki's direction, her face partially concealed behind the stem of an oil lamp. It had been a week and a half since Murasaki had been attacked, and she was hoping the bandages would come off soon, though her fingertips had been burned badly.

She ignored the girl, focusing only on her food and mastering the chopsticks with her currently hindered dexterity.

The daimyo sat nearby, eating wholeheartedly while his effeminate son sat stiffly beside him, picking daintily at his food. Murasaki found them both fascinating, wondering how a son could turn out so different from his father. Even she had similarities with her father, but these two seemed like polar opposites.

The daimyo was a big, sturdily built man with a large belly. His voice and laugh were attractive, and while he was not by any means handsome, he had a charm about him that won ones heart instantly. He was warm and loving, caring deeply for his wife and family, and even the people over which he reigned.

His son, however, was painfully slender and pale. His face, which was covered with a handkerchief most of the time, was long and his eyes were cold. No part of his manners stated that he wanted anything to do with his family or his country. He treated everyone as if they were something unpleasant that he had found on the soul of his shoe, and was often the butt of many jokes because of this.

Murasaki averted her eyes when he looked up from his yakitori with a sour expression on his face, as if the delicious chicken kabob was something disgusting.  
The dishes were cleared away within the hour, and warmed sake was brought out in small porcelain pitchers.

Murasaki hated the bitter, burning taste of sake, supposing it was something she would like when she was older. Kenko, on the other hand, almost immediately began to down the caustic fluid.  
After the drinking picked up, and many of the courtiers cheeks had become rosy from the alcohol, the daimyo clapped his hands enthusiastically.

"Let's have some poetry!" He called, draining his sake cup. "We'll make a game of it!"

"Let's have Yugao-chan begin!" Kenko called, raising his glass to the older woman, who clenched her yellowed teeth together in what was supposed to resemble a smile. For a moment, Murasaki feared that the powder on the woman's face would crumble and fall off, but it held fast to the woman's skin.

"You flatter me, Kenko-sama!" she said, drawing a fan and hiding behind it as if she were embarrassed, making a coughing sound that was supposed to bear some semblance a laugh. "Perhaps our apprentices should go first!"

Kenko paised in th emiddle of pouring Murasaki a fresh cup of sake, which he had been practically forcing on her.

"That's a wonderful idea!" The daimyo cried, slamming his freshly emptied glass down on the table and signaling for the attendants to bring out more of the small sake pitchers. "Itoshiki Nozomu-san! You shall begin! Give us something to begin with!"

All the blood that was in Murasaki's face drained and she felt dizzy. All eyes were on her and her mind had stopped working after her fourth cup of sake. She blinked slowly, trying to string together a coherent thought that didn't concern Yugaou's caking makeup.

Without further delay, or thought for that matter, Murasaki spat out the first line, which went:

_  
"The color fades from the flower  
As with passing time it withers,  
it's strands turn with age turn white;  
Does the snow make it any more beautiful?"_

A deathly silence fell upon the room and Murasaki wanted to hide her face in shame. Yugao clenched her teeth together in the same smile she had before, her dark eyes glittering maliciously. Her apprentice did not miss a beat, hiding her mouth behind her sleeves.

_  
"A thing which withers  
With no outward sign  
is the flower  
of the fickle-hearted man."_

Murasaki didn't even bat an eye, smiling kindly back at Yugao's apprentice as if she were teaching a child. This manner made the girl squirm terribly and look away, which both made Murasaki feel guilty and gave her confidence.

_"Flowers know nothing  
Of what lies beyond the garden wall;  
He is gone now  
To come now only dreams."_

Kenko stiffened, casting a concerned look in Murasaki's direction, though not criticism fell from withered lips. Murasaki knew what she had said and done only moments after she said it. Her thought had strayed to Obito halfway through the girls poem, and it was him she had spoken of, but she hadn't meant to take Kenko's turn…  
Kenko merely laughed, clapping her on the back and pouring more sake into her cup. Murasaki unthinkingly downed the wine to hide her embarrassment, regretting the feeling of fire inside her stomach moments later.

"I see your apprentice is eager to live up to his masters reputation." Yugao said with her coughing laugh.

"What a big reputation it is." Her apprentice said from behind her sleeves, her dark eyes arching upwards in a false smile. Murasaki's stomach gave a sudden lurch and she stood up, racing to the sliding panel and stumbling out into the tea garden where she had been attacked over a week before. She almost fell into a shrubbery into which she began to vomit, her head spinning. She heard a couple of guards race towards her, placing gloved hands on her shoulders and back and easing her into a more comfortable position.

"It's okay, just let it all go." Murasaki dimly heard a woman's voice say before Murasaki pitched forward, hearing only the sound of laughter as she lay on the cool grass.

"Oh, god…" she laughed, pushing herself up onto her elbows shakily. She felt weak as the woman who had come to her aid helped her to her feet, but for some reason she found it insanely funny.

"They should never have given someone as young as you sake…" The woman seethed, her curtain of blond hair covering half her face as she led Murasaki back to the open door through which she had come. Murasaki shook as she struggled to wipe her mouth, stumbling against the woman.

"I'm so sorry…" Murasaki giggled as the woman pushed the doors wider. The room was still buzzing with the sounds of revelry, Murasaki's humiliating incident having been pushed to the side by something Yugao's apprentice had just said.

The woman led Murasaki into the hallway, where Chiriku waited. He looked quite surprised to see them, but wasn't angry.

"I'm glad to see you got her out of there, Lady Ise…" He said with a bow. Lady Ise paused for a moment, tilting Murasaki's chin upwards.

"So this is the girl that's been causing all the problems? I can't believe they gave her sake…that's…so irresponsible!"  
Lady Ise slid in and out of focus as she seethed and swore, and Murasaki could make out the dim outline of a lamellar breastplate over a white kimono and blue hakama. A nagiganata was strapped to the woman's back and Murasaki blinked in surprise.

"_A female samurai…?_" Murasaki wondered, her head still buzzing terribly from the alcohol. She somehow wanted to laugh, but clamped her mouth shut for fear of vomiting.

"I'll take her to bed." Chiriku said, leading Murasaki away from the upset looking blonde.

XxX

Over the next week, Murasaki was quite dismayed to realize she didn't recall much of her first poetry 'competition', and wished she could recall exactly what had caused Yugao's apprentice to earn the highly suggestive title of _'Grass-Thatched Hut'_. On top of that, Murasaki herself had earned the reputation of not being able to hold her sake, a title which she didn't mind. Next time, she would simply avoid the caustic fluid.

Chiriku was keeping a closer eye on her, confessing that he was taking time away from sleep to ensure her safety. More than once, Murasaki begged him to go to bed, but he would crankily refuse. Once in a while, Asuma would relieve the monk of his duties, but the teen was not fond of loosing sleep over the fugitive Fujiwara.

One warm night in the fleeting weeks of summer, Murasaki was laying awake in her bed while Chiriku and Asuma sat in her room, playing shogi by lamplight.

"You guys should go to bed…" Murasaki moaned, rolling into a different position. "You need sleep…"

"We're fine…" Chiriku said without looking up from his chessboard. "You should go to sleep…"

"It's been over a month…" Murasaki muttered, rubbing her eyes and sighing.

"Go. To. Sleep." Chiriku said sternly, the oil lamp casting long shadows on his face, illuminating his dark circles and making him look like an old man. Asuma made a move and let out a sigh, himself looking nearly as old and tired as Chiriku did.

Murasaki sighed and closed her eyes, thinking about how the two teens resembled a couple of old men, sitting around and playing shogi all the time...

She closed her eyes, wondering if they would play shogi as old men as well, and thinking how much Asuma had matured since he'd come to the temple…  
Murasaki was almost asleep when she felt something in the back of her consciousness, something she'd forgotten about until that moment.

"The door." she managed, scrambling up just as the rice-paper panels came crashing down around her, landing heavily on where she's been laying moments before.  
Asuma and Chiriku spring into action, drawing their weapons, but nothing happened. Whoever it was that had broken Murasaki's seal on the secret door and knocked down the rice paper panels had disappeared up the same passage they had come.

"Asuma, take Murasaki out to the stables…get her a ride back to Konoha with Lady Ise, then send a hawk to Konoha and alert them that she's returning." Chiriku hissed, pushing Murasaki into Asuma's arms and disappearing through the door.

"Come on, let's go." Asuma said softly, leading Murasaki out by the hand.

XxX

The moon was high and full as Asuma lead Murasaki out into the courtyard, Lady Ise in tow. Ise had wrapped Murasaki in a pale pink kimono with stylized cherry blossoms around the hem, and a medium green kimono emblazoned with leaves had been put over her head like a veil to hide her identity. Murasaki found it difficult to move underneath the heavy silk, and had to shuffle to keep from tripping over the long hems. She didn't want to admit it to anyone, not even herself, but it was the first time she'd felt like a girl in nearly a year…_and she felt beautiful_…

"Here." Lady Ise said, approaching a palanquin surrounded by men in lacquered hats. "This is my fathers…No one will dare attack it." She said, pulling aside the panel. "Get in, quickly…no one can see." Lady Ise said, her voice low as she looked around. "We'll cover you here."

"Thank you…" Murasaki said softly, climbing in to the large box awkwardly. "Tell everyone thank you…I owe them my life…I promise when I become a kunoichi, I'll pay back my debt…" she said, lifting one of the bamboo curtains to speak to Asuma and Lady Ise, the green kimono nearly slipping off her spiky brown hair. Asuma rummaged in his sleeves, pulling out a Konoha leaf protector.

"You take this. You're already a kunoichi…" he said, handing it to Murasaki.

"And when you get home…please find Kurenai…tell her that I'm okay and that I'll be back soon…"

Murasaki blinked and nodded as Lady Ise signaled to the men. Murasaki was nearly thrown off balance as the palanquin was lifted into the air and onto the shoulders of the men in the lacquered hats. She was forced to relinquish her grip on the bamboo curtain in favor of finding a position in which every move of the men didn't just about make her fall out of the box. She caught one last glimpse of Asuma and Lady Ise as the curtain fell and she was ushered out of the castle's gates.

Murasaki could tell by the sound of the men's feet and the feeling of the chakra around her that they were passing through the city. She sat back on her knees and closed her eyes, holding the forehead protector that Asuma had given her in her hands.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" She thought, opening her eyes and staring down at the blue silk band. In the darkness of the palanquin, she could barely make out the carved symbol of Konohagakure staring back at her. Something stirred in her heart, warming her to the core and a broad grin cracked her normally sad features; She was finally going home.

XxX

Sarutobi looked wearily down at the letter the daimyo's hawk had just delivered. His pipe hung partially out of his mouth, the smoke clinging in the air and creating a dreary halo around the formerly retired Hokage.

_"Perhaps its for the better if the poor girl returns…Konoha is more stable now than it was a year ago: Danzou has quieted down and is no longer intent to make a fuss…"_ He thought, glancing over at a picture of his three former students turned sannin.  
"_Danzou has gone underground. He doesn't want to be noticed. I highly doubt he'll try anything to compromise his cover…it's the other one that I'm worried about…_" Sarutobi thought, his eyes falling on the photograph of the raven haired sannin, who's amber eyes stared solemnly back at him. "_Orochimaru's growing more aggressive in his search for immortality…that child of his was a failed experiment at creating a new body…he didn't factor in the egg donor's genetics…but there's some one in the village who might be a good host for that parasite of a man…"_

Sarutobi took his pipe out of his mouth, blowing smoke into the air thoughtfully and drumming his fingers on the table.  
"Let him come…I've been looking for an excuse to see my former student…" He said standing up and calling to a young ANBU just beyond his office doors.  
"Inu-san, please alert Jiraiya-san that his daughter will return to Konoha before dawn."

The dog masked ANBU nodded stiffly, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Sarutobi leaned back, puffing on his pipe with a genuine smile.  
"_That'll make Jiraiya-kun happy…_" He thought cheerily, looking forward to his former student's reaction.

XxX

Murasaki wasn't aware she'd been asleep when the palanquin suddenly halted. The fact that the large wooden framed box had stopped swinging woke her with a start, and the feeling of it being lowered made her stomach flutter as she awoke. Cautiously, she peered out of the bamboo curtain and her eyes were met with a sight that moved her to tears.

Bathed in the bright moonlight were the two enormous green gates of Konoha, which had been opened a crack to reveal a tall man with wild white hair. The warm summer night felt heavy and the air itself seemed to be alive. The moonlight seemed to cast eerie shadows across the giant gates, and Murasaki sat transfixed as she stared out of the palanquin, wondering if she was still dreaming. The soft breeze seemed to make the trees whisper a sad, yet beautiful song.

Her skin began to prickle as she gazed towards her father, afraid that any moment she would wake from an implausible dream.

Murasaki wasn't even aware of getting out of the palanquin, no less her feet hitting the ground before she found her arms wrapped around her father's waist, hot tears soaking his green shirt.  
"Murasaki…" He breathed, pulling her closer and wrapping his strong arms around her shoulders. "I missed you so much…"

"I missed you, too, daddy…" She whispered, tears streaming down her face. The truth was, she was afraid to let go for fear he would slip between his fingers and she would wake.

"I'll tell Lady Ise you've arrived safely." called one of the guards from the palanquin. "But I fear she will expect further proof from you Hokage."

"That's fine." Jiraiya called. "I'll provide Ise-hime with any proof she needs."

With a nod and a wave, the palanquin bearers disappeared into the trees. Murasaki watched them with a sudden sadness, as if it had been the palanquin bearers that had taken care of her for the past year, and not master Kenko and Chiriku.

"Look at you!" Jiraiya said, a tint of joy-masked sadness in his voice. "You've gotten taller! I can't believe how much you've changed! So lovely now!"

Murasaki smiled up at her dad, pulling the green kimono further around her head to block out the sudden chill.

"Can we go home, dad? I really want to see how much Konoha has changed…" She said, glancing into the trees where she swore she'd seen movement. Murasaki had that feeling she was being watched, but it wasn't a bad feeling like it had been so many times before.

Perhaps it was her good mood, but she felt as if nothing would ever go wrong again as her father took her hand and led her to the same apartment she had left undercover less than a year before.

"I'm so glad you're back, sweetheart." he said, a noticeable bounce in his step as Murasaki cling desperately to his hand. "I..I just am…"

Murasaki clung tighter to her father, burrowing beneath his warm arm. "I am too, dad…" She said, her voice breaking with emotion.

XxX  
A dark shadow crouched on the massive green gates, watching as the father and daughter embraced below. From his vantage point, he could hear the young girl sobbing with tears he assumed were joy.

A fluttering feeling settled in the pit of the ANBU's stomach as he watched the two, a feeling which he credited to frustration at the former miko. He shivered, an electric feeling prickling his skin as the forest surrounding Konoha gave what sounded like one huge sigh of relief. The moonlight seemed to turn everything into shades of black and white, and colors that would have been vivid in the daylight looked muted.

The ANBU silently cursed the third for allowing the girl to come back, for opening up that can of worms, and he cursed himself for not trying harder to prevent her return. He could have intercepted that hawk in the blink of an eye, but maybe he'd wanted her to come back…somewhere in the back of his mind.

"_Don't be ridiculous_." He thought irritably, following the pair silently. "_ She's just a little kid…_"

xXxTBCxXx


End file.
